Posted on 07/11/2008 1:16:45 PM PDT by knighthawk
On the day the Colombian military freed Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other long-held hostages, the Italian Parliament passed yet another resolution demanding her release. Europe had long ago adopted this French-Colombian politician as a cause célèbre. France had made her an honorary citizen of Paris, passed numerous resolutions and held many vigils.
Unfortunately, karma does not easily cross the Atlantic. Betancourt languished for six years in cruel captivity until freed by a brilliant operation conducted by the Colombian military, intelligence agencies and special forces - an operation so well executed that the captors were overpowered without a shot being fired.
This in foreign policy establishment circles is called "hard power." In the Bush years, hard power is terribly out of fashion, seen as a mere obsession of cowboys and neocons. Both in Europe and America, the sophisticates worship at the altar of "soft power" - the use of diplomatic and moral resources to achieve one's ends.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
Author: Charles Krauthammer
Thanks for alerting to “a Krauthammer” - - I know this is one to read.
Thanks for posting this. Talk about whining, I just read the (pasted below) whining from “Philanthropy Today,” and it sickens me.
Colombian Military’s Rescue Operation May Be Harmful to Aid Workers
Although the Colombian military successfully rescued 15 hostages last week from Marxist rebels by posing as humanitarian-aid workers, the impersonation could pose future harm to actual humanitarian-aid workers, reports the online daily-news site MinnPost.com.
Michael Barnett, a professor who teaches classes on humanitarianism at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, said the impersonation would make life more difficult for aid workers, as combatants in Colombia may now suspect them of actually being members of the military or friendly with the government.
“I don’t want to be melodramatic,” Barnett said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that aid workers are going to get shot. But it does mean that you’re going to have a lot more difficult time getting access to populations at risk. It does mean you’ve got to go through a lot more hoops. It means that you probably have to go through more searches and more background checks.”
The “Free Tibet” bumper sticker phenomenon.
Tibet doesn’t have a Second Amendment.
We do, plus we have Krauthammer too.
Upon her liberation, Betancourt offered profuse thanks to God and the Virgin Mary, to her supporters and the media, to France and Colombia and just about everybody else. As of this writing, none to the United States.
Fantastic article by Charles.
The Colombian army’s helicopters were painted white (to lend the impression the helicopters were from an NGO aid organization). That these NGOs were accepted and respected by the FARC as legitimate during the operation says a lot about what these NGOs are up to.
I do not know if it is true, but the International Red Cross supposedly helped Dr. Mengle out of Europe after WWII.
This is not new.
Krauthammer nails it yet again.
In her article on WSJ’s opinionjournal.com, Mary Anastasia O’Grady takes especial note of how easy it was to fool the FARC “column” holding the hostages that a fictituous NGO “The International Humanitarian Mission” was ready with a chopper and crew to ferry the captives to the head commandante.
The obvious inference is that FARC is chummy with a number of left-wing “aid” groups. Ms. O’Grady pointed out the “judicial warfare” waged by left-wing NGO’s routinely filing human rights charges against the Columbian Army’s best officers, making up army atrocities while ignoring guerilla depradations.
Those in the know are rightfully worried that the army’s deep-cover agents may be rooted out and killed but they are also eagerly anticipating bloody purges as the FARC turns on itself in an orgy of paranoia. The thought that they may cut off their heretofore fruitful relationships with the lefty aid groups out of suspicion of penetration is a side benefit.
I have been chewing over Betancourt’s long interview with Larry the Frog. She did not thank the U.S.. She did thank the almighty. She pointedly ruled out resuming her political career (she was considered a long shot candidate when she was snatched). She refused to say what her captors did to her when she tried to escape once, so we may exercise our imaginations there.
While she was frank about brutal conditions, she did not roundly damn the FARC. I get the picture she plans on taking advantage of the liberal peacenik sainthood martyrdom bestowed upon her by the usual suspects over the past six years and probably spending the rest of her life on the globetrotting peace and love vaudeville circuit basking in the love, giving speeches and raising money for starving orphans and Gaia. That would obviate a return to elective office and the taking of hard stands and aggressive action on the guerilla war. Like Al Gore, she has probably already deduced that it’s easier and more profitable to be a plaster saint than a sleeves-rolled up politician.
She also thanked the Virgin. When she discovers the Immaculate Conception is the Patroness of the United States of America, will she withdraw her devotions?
Reading in today’s Bergen Record that prior to her capture Ms. Betancourt had met with the ‘rebels’ to try to talk them into ceasing to kidnap and murder citizens.
Shades of Obambachange.
“It means we won’t be able to chicly wear Che shirts and sleep around with communist terrorists. Oh, the HUMANITY!”
Just a small criticism of a minor omission in an otherwise -- typically -- excellent piece. Álvaro Uribe Vélez did indeed use hard power in this case. But given his personal history (his father was assassinated by FARC), his willingness to make concessions to his enemies and to dismantle or weaken the paramilitary organizations that comprise his own base is truly extraordinary. Uribe is the George Washington of Colombia. Enough good things cannot be said about him. All the more reason why our Congress's failure to act on measures of interest to Colombia and the repetition of a whispering campaign against him by some in the civilian intelligence community is disgraceful, and, to the extent that Colombia is probably our only real ally south of the Rio Grande is subversive as well.
Well done, Colombia. Well said, Charles.
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