Italy?s Prime Ministers Held Hostage To Domestic Politics

The Stiletto ^ | March 23, 2007 | The Stiletto

[theothercheek]

Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, 52, was released in exchange for five Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government - presumably at the behest of Italy - after he had been taken hostage by Taliban fighters 15 days ago in southern Afghanistan. Washington, London, and other European capitals condemned the exchange because it sent "the wrong signal to prospective hostage takers," as a spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office put it in an interview with Reuters.

The New York Times notes that Italy has a history of paying ransom for the release of hostages:

It was widely reported that the former Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, paid cash for the freedom of at least three hostages in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. The issues then were at once humanitarian and political: Italians broadly opposed Mr. Berlusconi’s decision to send troops to Iraq, and critics said any deaths there could further erode support for him as national elections neared. Italy has since withdrawn its troops from Iraq.

The kidnapping of Mr. Mastrogiacomo occurred at a similarly delicate time for [Italian prime minister Romano] Prodi’s already fragile government, which fell briefly last month, partly because of a lack of support inside his coalition for the presence of nearly 2,000 Italian troops in Afghanistan.

Later this month, Mr. Prodi faces a crucial vote on financing for the mission there, a vote that might have been more difficult if Mr. Mastrogiacomo had not been freed.

The New York Times also reports that Ustad Yasir, one of the released Talibanis, plans to "return immediately to war, and was ‘grabbing two rifles to begin jihad again to hunt down invaders and fight nonbelievers,’ according to a statement attributed to him on the Internet."

One wonders what Fabrizio Quattrocchi would make of all this. You’ll recall that he was the courageous Italian security guard taken hostage by Islamofascists in Iraq who refused to beg for his life and instead tried to rip off his hood while shouting, "Adesso (or ora) vi faccio vedere come muore un italiano!" ("Now I will show you how an Italian dies!") His captors shot him on the spot – a far quicker, less agonizing and more dignified death than having his head hacked off with a butcher knife.

The blood of Roman Centurions ran through Quattrocchi’s veins. What runs through the veins of his country’s leaders?

NOTE: In case I did not put all the links in correctly, this is the second item in a feature called The Daily Blade, and follows an article titled, "Is The Iraqi Criminal Justice System More Efficient Than Ours?"

[rhombus]

The blood of Roman Centurions ran through Quattrocchi’s veins. What runs through the veins of his country’s leaders?

Perhaps the curdled milk of socialized nanny government.

[theothercheek]

Good one!