Re:India's demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes
by mars4rp on Tuesday November 08, 2016 @02:43PM
(#12903316)
as you said it was used as a LEVERAGE not a ransom. US had to pay this money anyway, by timing it right they had more LEVERAGE in the negotiations and 4 innocent people got out of prison.
What is wrong with that? painting this payments as ransom is wrong.
Re:India's demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes
by totalZero on Wednesday November 09, 2016 @02:58PM
(#12914037)
Ransom IS leverage. The payer is manipulating the captor's desire for money, in order to get an immediate release of prisoners that would otherwise not happen.
Equally true, taking hostages is a way to gain leverage by manipulating the payer's desire to protect the captives. Why do you think bank robbers and hijackers do it? Iran was unable to get that money for almost forty years, but by dangling four Americans in front of the Obama administration, they were able to collect a ten-figure cash payment out of America's coffers.
And you think there's nothing wrong with that?
The Americans are guilty of caving on their principles and giving tons of (borrowed btw) cash to hostage takers, and the Iranians are guilt of taking hostages in the first place.
Let's momentarily set aside the issue of whether the US owed Iran 1.7B dollars. There are arguments on both sides but I want to point something out:
The cash payment was made at the same time as the release of four Americans by Iran's regime. The Obama administration has admitted that the cash was used as leverage in negotiating their release.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...