Investor's Business Daily, April 4th, 2007
Mideast: Like everyone, we're happy to see the 15 British sailors going home after two weeks in Iranian captivity. But unfortunately, it's likely to be a big propaganda coup for Iran's terrorist-supporting regime.
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, let the 15 go as a "gift" to Britain during Easter Week. That's a bit ironic, given that Islam is the only religion in Britain that's actually growing, with Christianity now perhaps in terminal decline.
It remains to be seen whether the British people, humiliated by a tinhorn tyrant thousands of miles away, will actually be grateful.
But we're sure Iran's terror-supporting president is. He wanted to embarrass the British -- who once could boast the sun never set on their Empire. He did. He also wanted to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its once-faithful ally. He did that, too.
And it only took two weeks. Within days of the sailors' being nabbed inside Iraqi territorial waters, British media and diplomats were already pointing angry fingers of blame. No, not at Iran and Ahmadinejad, but at President Bush, who had the effrontery to remind Iran the British sailors were on a U.N.-sanctioned mission and demanded their release.
By Wednesday it was as if nothing had happened, with Ahmadinejad joking on TV with the prisoners, playing the genial host as his captives apologized for inconveniencing Iran.
Ahmadinejad even chastised Blair for sending Faye Turney -- a mother -- into harm's way. "How can you justify seeing a mother away from her home, her children? Why don't they respect family values in the West?"
Not only does Iran's kooky leader come away looking magnanimous, but actually concerned to boot. All this from a man who committed an act of war, funds and trains terrorist murderers and still pursues nuclear weapons so he can obliterate his neighbor, Israel.
By the way, if this was a test of the EU's spine, Iran found it has none. Accounting for over 40% of Iran's trade, the EU has leverage. But it did nothing after a member state's soldiers were seized.
All during the crisis, Prime Minister Tony Blair talked up the importance of "diplomacy" in getting his sailors back. To his credit, the prisoners are returning with no shots fired. But we can't help but wonder what, behind the scenes, was given up?
Did Britain quietly threaten Iran? Or did it vow not to take part in any U.S.-led attack on Iran? Did it pledge not to push for more U.N. sanctions? Did it agree to look the other way as Iran builds nukes?
Iran's state-controlled media announced Wednesday that a government representative will soon meet with five Iranians who were grabbed by U.S. forces in northern Iraq. Was that the deal?
There are lots of questions, but few answers. All we know is Iran humiliated the West in committing an act of war and got away with it. We can't wait for the next provocation. At some point, Iran will push and, instead of taking it, we'll just have to push back.
Copyright 2007 Investor's Business Daily, Inc.
