"American troops would not surrender...."

Via Memeorandum, Tony Harnden at the (U.K.) Daily Telegraph has some harsh words for several of the Royal Navy sailors who, recently released from Iran, have sold their stories to the media. In truth, if the excerpts are as he reports, one has to agree that the British personnel who have thus far spoken out have not, either during their capture or since their release, “covered themselves in glory.”

Two observations. First, I have no idea how I would behave as a hostage in Iran, and while I do think I might be more circumspect in reporting the experience afterwards, I rather doubt I’d have covered myself in glory, either. Thus, I’ll leave criticism of these sailors to men and women who are, themselves, made of sterner stuff or at least believe themselves to be.

Second, I disagree with Harnden’s contention that “[s]trategically, Iran has been emboldened.... and learnt that illegal actions against the West can yield dividends.” That lesson, tragically enough, Iran learned first and foremost as a result of then President Jimmy Carter’s disastrous handling of the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979. As between the West and Iran, the latter has had little reason in the intervening three decades to think otherwise.

Harnden continues as follows:

There is now a real danger that a similar escapade will be attempted against American forces. That is very likely to result in a bloodbath - American troops would not surrender and confess in this way - and could be the incident that ratchets the temperature up towards war.

I both hope and, in fact, do believe that Harnden is correct in his assessment of American troops. History by damned, Iran would be foolish to believe otherwise. Unfortunately, there are altogether too many fools these days on both sides of that potential confrontation and too many, for that matter, on both sides of the U.S. political spectrum, for me to be at all sanguine about the foreseeable future.