This is an honest question to all the “this was ransom” people out there. Do you really believe (seriously believe) the US would pay 400 million to free FOUR people rather than just leave them to rot/die alone in some hellhole???
Lets see for 100 million a head this must have been some very high up VIPs. The hostages—journalist Jason Rezaian; former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati; Christian pastor Saeed Abedini; and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari.
400 million is a sh*t ton of money! As if the US would care that much about ordinary citizens captured abroad. C’mon people. If this was actually ransom, give me a more realistic number, like 1 million or 400k. Then maybe you may have a case.
We absolutely do. Back in the day, a Roman citizen could walk anywhere in the known world without fear of being harassed simply because they were a Roman citizen.
While I don’t agree with paying terrorists or terrorist organizations/states (at least not so publicly), I do believe America views our citizens being held in foreign prisons as a sign of weakness (and just plain offensive) and will do whatever it takes to free them.
We are modern day Rome. If we’re going to be the World’s police, our citizens get free reign. Don’t fuck with 'Murica.
Yes and no. In theory yes, but if american soldiers start dying on a regular basis, there will inevitably be calls to change hostage rescue policy. (See Dilip Joseph rescue)
See…that’s why these payments need to be kept secret…
It gets more awkward when it’s a nation-state holding your citizens. Are we ready to fight another war? No, of course not. So publicly we can declare “we don’t negotiate with terrorists, will do whatever it takes etc etc.” but really, options are limited.
@Itera -Ransom is when you are paying someone out of your OWN pocket.Stop using that word .I think leveraging the hostages to get some of that cash back would be a better description. Whether the course of actions was correct or not is up to debate but don’t bend your pursuit of thought with a change of words and thus meaning of the words.
Having trouble finding the “OWN pocket” requirement… ran·som ˈransəm/ noun noun: ransom; plural noun: ransoms 1. a sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for the release of a prisoner. synonyms: payoff, payment, sum, price “they demanded a huge ransom” the holding or freeing of a prisoner in return for payment of ransom. “the capture and ransom of the king”
^ Where did you get that definition? One does not typically see the word being defined in its definition: “the holding or freeing of a prisoner in return for payment of ransom.”
Ehhh I can’t tell if your being sarcastic or not? But my point is, we like to believe this fantasy that Americans captured abroad are special and have seal team 6 ready to come rescue you at a moment notice. “Mr. Smith, we here to take you home!” The real world doesn’t work like that. No one is coming to rescue you. Gabriel Logan is not putting on the tri-scope night vision mask and coming down from the ceiling to dispatch your captors. Russell Crowe is not getting hired to help in your negotiations and ask for a “proof of life.” The US is not overnighting cash on a jet to get you out. You are just not that special.
Reality: US Embassy sends a liaison to your family. They tell you to “hold on and stay strong” we are working to get your loved one out. Months go by, your lost to bureaucratic paperwork, months go by, and your family gets assigned a new liaison with the same “have faith” message.
The only way out is either the country your trap in has a coup and you escape in the confusion, you serve your time get released, your traded by your captors to new captors, or you get killed. That’s it. This happens all the time, we just never hear about it. (Only when it’s a beheading stream over the internet)
Maybe just maybe if your a US spy, you get prisoner exchanged. And that’s maybe
Well, the USA did send a military helicopter in to save an oil field worker from a honor killing after the worker had sex with some local’s daughter. I forgot which Asian country, but I heard the story from a colleague that had first hand knowledge. The location was remote apparently. People line up to stare at the white people remote.
my bet is that if iran captured more hostages and demanded more their money back, the u.s. tell them to f off. this payment was a sign of good faith at a time when many agreements between the two countries were being agreed to. if either party takes a step back and acts the way they did 5 years ago, relations will not be so cordial. the u.s. will slowly give iran’s money back as iran continues to comply with the u.s.'s wishes. truly, iran has nothing that the u.s. wants. the u.s. has ultimate power and will use any and all tools of coercion in taming iran into behaving the way it wants. to think that iran won this exchange is idiotic and incredibly short-sighted.
^Why are you confident in your understanding of foreign affairs? Does the US and Iran give Canadian citizens briefings the rest of us are not privy to?
because as a canadian, i use common sense. the u.s has never paid ransom for hostages. and it still hasn’t. if the u.s. purchased oil from iran at the same time iran released hostages, would you consider that ransom. it was merely a payment related to an international dispute that involved an unbiased third-party court. who cares if the payment was made on day 0, 5, or 100? if the u.s. made the payment today, would you call it a ransom payment? if they made it ten days before, would you call it a ransom payment?
Depends on what you’re in for. If you’re pulling a Midnight Express and smuggling hash out of Turkey…yeah, you’re going to rot in a horrible prison. If you’re a journalist in N Korea or Iran or where ever, we may not send in the troops immediately, but we have a good track record of getting political prisoners released.
Edit: It should also be noted that American prisoners are generally treated better than the average prisoner. Again, not so much for drug offenses or violent crimes, but the ones that fall more in the political spectrum are treated better than others.
If a plane carrying hostages was not allowed to take-off until $400 million of foreign currency landed, would you call that a ransom payment? Maybe it was just a matter of busy airspace, using said Canadian common sense. Might want to polish that chip.
That one is very public and he’s still there sentence to “Hard Labor” so who knows how he’s being treated. I’m assuming like everyone else.
These countries are itching to get a white American in their net and show you how westerners receive “special” treatment. And by special I mean extra harsh.
Check this out. It takes a few years and it’s nearly always resolved diplomatically, but the U.S. doesn’t give up on its citizens when they’re detained abroad. And I’d say we have a pretty good track record of getting them home.
what i’m saying is that your argument is based on the U.S. being unable to provide any concessions to iran ever which is stupid if the u.s. is attempting to repair relations with iran. it was iran’s money. it should’ve been paid in full a long time ago. if it wasn’t $400M in iranian money that the U.S. already held hostage, it would’ve been something else. i guarantee you the discussion went like this.
obama: “release the human hostages”.
iran: “no. not until you release the monetary hostages”.
obama: “okay, i’ll give you a 1/4 of what you are owed”.
iran: “okay, we’ll give you 1/4 of the prisoners”.
obama: “f you”.
iran: “okay fine, all prisoners for a 1/4 of our own money”.