We’ve been probed in a very elegant intel-gathering operation.

Iran needed to know, above all else, just how far it can push the West while developing its nuclear ambitions. They’ve found out. By engaging in a blatantly illegal operation–but one that could easily be managed and whose scope of damage could easily be contained, if need be (nobody hurt, nobody killed), Iran has been able to discern that:

The UK has no will to use military force, even in face of a major provocation;

The UN will do nothing;

The EU will do nothing at all, no matter that one of its members has suffered an act of war.

I suspect the latter was the primary target of this exercise all along–not the UK. The EU can exercise great economic leverage against Iran, if it wishes, and this incident shows that they lack the will to do so. All ahead on the Nuke Express!

Secondarily, Iran can now pose as the ‘Champion of Islam against Crusader States’, blah blah.

This is an unrelieved defeat for the West; and our media don’t even seem to realize what’s just happened.

Astounding.

Interesting that Tony Blair said yesterday that the next 48 hours would be critical regarding the British hostages: Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday that he was still hoping to secure the release of the 15 British sailors and marines…

Until forced to.

Which is exactly the point, Leslie. That’s why you don’t talk with nations that are being isolated from the international community. All this shows is that if you snatch some of Britain’s people they, and America presumably, will bow down to your bidding. It’s exactly why we don’t negotiate with hostage takers, so that it discourages other hostage taking.

This was hardly a victory for diplomacy.

I call it blackmail.

More than likely the brits are doing a not-so-public-eyed deal with Iran, most likely to release terrorists prisoners for the release of the abducted 15 brit sailors that were proven to be in Iraqi waters.

Tell me something leslie, when a bank robber holes up in a bank with hostages, and starts making demands – when ‘negotiators’ start giving in to the demands, si that called ‘diplomacy’?

No, it is called getting the situation under control, and to do everything they can to get the innocent to safety so they can take out the hostage taker.

Normally with a well placed sniper bullet.

As usual, per Bismarck, we don’t really need to know how the sausage was made.

Note that diplomacy _can_ work with the Iranians, but that little fact will, of course, not deter the U.S. from its usual course of huffing and puffing and refusing to deal with anybody it doesn’t like.

Until forced to.

From Sky News:Iran is to free the 15 UK sailors and marines taken captive in the Shatt al Arab waterway as a gift to Britain. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the group would be released promptly and handed over to the