With the 15 British sailors and marines now back in the UK, safe and sound... and fully debriefed, we are learning much more about the whole incident in the Shatt al-Arab waterway. This whole affair is a perfect example of how successful diplomacy (in very difficult circumstances) can be used to safely resolve a diplomatic incident rather than aggressive rhetoric and military action. However, commentary on the right advocated a much more confrontational course of action and in so doing risked an escalation of the situation which would have led us all into a very dangerous place. Such commentary represents all that is wrong with the right’s thinking and ideology with regards to Iraq, Iran, international terrorism and the Middle East in general.
It should also be noted that some on the left, saw this particular crisis as a stage managed event, designed by the US and the UK to draw us into war with Iran. With the crisis over and the troops home, it is clear that this was not the case and this way of thinking, while understandable, was inaccurate.
Join me below, in my first diary on the Daily Kos, for more.
The British sailors and marines are now back in the UK and they recently gave a press conference addressing much of what went on. This first point of note is that, despite their Iranian television appearances, they contend that they were well within Iraqi waters:
"Irrespective of what has been said in the past, when we were detained by the IRG, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, we were inside internationally-recognized Iraqi territorial waters. And I can clearly state we were 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters."
Lt Carman
This is consistent with all the statements made regarding the location by the Royal Navy, the British government and even the location first cited by the Iranians, which they then later changed to a location within their waters. Perhaps the sailors were expected to confirm what the Navy and the government had said, especially after their debriefing, but it strikes me as if this is the truth of the matter, especially when you consider this comment regarding their capture:
"But when we tried to leave, they prevented us by blocking us in. By now it was becoming increasingly clear that they had arrived with a planned intent. Some of the Iranian sailors were becoming deliberately aggressive and unstable".
Lt Carman
So when confronted, they tried to leave but were prevented from doing so, normal maritime procedures would have warranted warnings and demands from the Iranians that the British had tresspassed and should leave ‘Iranian’ waters. Instead they were captured and used as political pawns for two weeks. This was irresponsible and dangerous behavior.
At this point, there has to be asked this question: How is it that the British were in a position to be captured at all? Should there not have been sufficient air cover to prevent such an action from the Iranians? This seems a reasonable question.
"Clearly, whenever things go wrong - and certainly this is not an incident we at all wanted - we will review everything that we normally do. Was the intelligence correct? We will look at the equipment, we will look at the procedures, we will look at all the things that happened. We certainly wouldn't want this to happen again."
Admiral Band
What I find to be totally unreasonable is some of the commentary that been pushed by the right. There are clearly those in the US who seek war with Iran and this incident allowed them to talk tough, saber rattle and bash the Brits (the only serious US ally) all at the same time. Here is Newt Gingrich on the Hugh Hewitt show:
HH: Mr. Speaker, if the United Kingdom feels obliged to use force, if diplomacy fails to get their people back, will you applaud?
NG: I think there are two very simple steps that should be taken. The first is to use a covert operation, or a special forces operation to knock out the only gasoline producing refinery in Iran. There’s only one. And the second is to simply intercede by Naval force, and block any tankers from bringing gasoline to Iran...
HH: Would you do, would you urge them...
NG: And say to the Iranians, you know, you can keep the sailors as long as you want, but in about 30 days, everybody in your country will be walking.
Excellent stuff! That would have resolved things double quick, and with no long term consequences either... Also, I doubt he would have said "keep the sailors as long as you want" if they were American. Thanks Newt. This next extract from Tucker Carlson talking to retired Army Colonel Jack Jacobs, is what prompted me to write this diary, it has more of the same saber rattling with some additional ‘blame the troops’ thrown in. This was just after one of the videos of the sailors 'apologizing'.
CARLSON: Now, it‘s not like these guys were being held in the Hanoi Hilton in tiger cages or something. They were not there all that long, and it took them about a day to start denouncing their own country. I don‘t want to judge people in a situation I‘m not in.
JACOBS: No, judge away.
CARLSON: On the other hand...
JACOBS: Judge away.
CARLSON: ... I think it‘s appalling, actually.
JACOBS: So do I.
CARLSON: I don‘t know what to make of this. What do you—tell me what you think.
JACOBS: Well, they‘re idiots, he and the other 14 are, have to be, because there‘s no excuse for this kind of behavior. Don‘t forget that it was bad news from start to finish. They boarded an Iranian ship, evidently without having planned air cover, being covered by the mother ship at the maximum effective range of their own weapons, let themselves get policed up without firing a shot. I can tell you that they wouldn‘t take me without firing a shot. I would take as many with me as I possibly could.
CARLSON: I believe you, actually.
JACOBS: Oh, believe it. And, by the way, that‘s what we‘re all taught. And, on top of that, they weren‘t in captivity more than 28 microseconds before they started—you remember that shot—briefing, in front of a big map about where they were, and apologizing, and so on—absolutely despicable behavior, deplorable behavior. And I—they certainly should not have been taught to act like that. My guess is, they were not taught to act like that. And I think they are going to have—and they should have—a lot to answer for when they finally get back home.
There were many more examples of this kind of rhetoric with people advocating much more aggressive positioning. I’m glad the Brits didn’t behave like the Colonel pretends he would have, or else this incident would have been far more serious than it was. The situation, as described by Lt Carman:
"We realised that our efforts to reason with these people were not making any headway. Nor were we able to calm some of the individuals down. It was at this point that we realised that had we resisted, there would have been a major fight - one that we could not have won and with consequences that would have major strategic impacts. We made a conscious decision not to engage the Iranians and do as they asked".
Lt Carman
And as for the television performances, perhaps the nature of their captivity and the psychological pressure they were under may have accounted for their actions. These quotes speak for themselves:
"We were blindfolded, our hands were bound, we were forced up against the wall. Throughout our ordeal we faced constant psychological pressure. Later, we were stripped and dressed in pyjamas. The next few nights were spent in stone cells approximately 8ft by 6ft, sleeping on piles of blankets. All of us were kept in isolation. We were interrogated most nights and presented with two options. If we admitted we had strayed, we would be back on a plane to the UK pretty soon. If we didn't, we faced up to seven years in prison. We all, at one time or another, made a conscious decision to make a controlled release of non-operational information".
Lt Carman
"We thought we were going to the British embassy but we got taken to a detention centre, all 15 of us. We had a blindfold and plastic cuffs, hands behind our backs, heads against the wall. Basically there were weapons cocking. Someone, I'm not sure who, someone said, I quote, 'lads, lads I think we're going to get executed'. After that comment, someone was sick and as far as I was concerned he had just had his throat cut. From there we were rushed to a room, quick photo and then stuffed into a cell and didn't see or speak to anyone for six days".
Royal Marine Joe Tindell
It was not quite the 'full gitmo’ but I am sure it’s the kind of treatment that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld would approve of.