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American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his release

Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

No negotiations. WE don't negotiate with terrorists.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

I'd spend taxpayer money a hundred times and put US troops in danger a hundred times over to save an American life. That is what they are there for. Pretending that doing nothing will result in decreased attacks and kidnappings or that a ransom will encourage them is without foundation. This will occur regardless of what we do. However this mans life could possibly be saved depending on how we approach the situation. In these instances we almost always err on the side of life.

As I said, I sympathize with the family, but at some point we need to start expecting American citizens to take some responsibility for their own security and actions while abroad. It's not about supporting terrorists for me.... it's about making people take responsibility for their own stupid decisions.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

No negotiations. WE don't negotiate with terrorists.

We negotiate with terrorists when they are asking for money all the time. We don't negotiate on substantive matters. Because money is less important than lives.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

As I said, I sympathize with the family, but at some point we need to start expecting American citizens to take some responsibility for their own security and actions while abroad. It's not about supporting terrorists for me.... it's about making people take responsibility for their own stupid decisions.

I don't think it's a stupid decision to work for your government and go where they say they need you to go. Even if it is I still don't want to allow someone to die because of it if we could pay to save their lives. These incidents are so rare to begin with.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

I don't think it's a stupid decision to work for your government and go where they say they need you to go. Even if it is I still don't want to allow someone to die because of it if we could pay to save their lives. These incidents are so rare to begin with.

They're not rare enough. If the individual's family wants to pay for the ransom or a rescue attempt (privately via XE, etc...) that's fine with me. I don't see that there's even a reason to ever leave the US, nevermind have relations with any other country, so we're going to disagree on the work issue.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

We negotiate with terrorists when they are asking for money all the time. We don't negotiate on substantive matters. Because money is less important than lives.

Ok, then here is the negotiation....Release him.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

well even within the govt you have the civilian authority, the military, and the ISI seemingly all working against each other and pursuing often contradictory goals. Which gives the place it's rather schizophrenic character
In that case, what we need to do is pick the friendliest faction, help that faction consolidate its power over the others, and then stick with it. Simply throwing money at the country is simply an embarrassment and does very little to advance our interests. I personally favor strengthening our ties with India and making our support for Pakistan's civilian government secondary
Having influence or at least some exchange with a nuclear country is to our benefit. Isolating the people there would be creating another nK. It's a rogue semi autonomous terrorist region that even the Pakistani military does not want to play with. It's not like in the US where it would be, 'well, there he is'.

It's not just that the Pakistani government cannot deal with the terrorists, it's that it actively supports them. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence funds, shelters, and arms the Afghan Taliban while guzzling on the billions of dollars that we provide in aid each year. The Taliban would not be as much of an existential threat today if Pakistan didn't consider it a useful tool for controlling Afghanistan. Our "friends" in Islamabad are always prepared to dominate Afghanistan through shadier means if we decide to call it quits.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele


I think there should be a state department public announcement that states, anyone visiting countries such as Iran, N.Korea, Iraq, Iran, Venezuela ect ect should not expect the US to negotiate their release as they were told it was a dangerous country to begin with.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

In that case, what we need to do is pick the friendliest faction, help that faction consolidate its power over the others, and then stick with it. Simply throwing money at the country is simply an embarrassment and does very little to advance our interests. I personally favor strengthening our ties with India and making our support for Pakistan's civilian government secondary


It's not just that the Pakistani government cannot deal with the terrorists, it's that it actively supports them. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence funds, shelters, and arms the Afghan Taliban while guzzling on the billions of dollars that we provide in aid each year. The Taliban would not be as much of an existential threat today if Pakistan didn't consider it a useful tool for controlling Afghanistan. Our "friends" in Islamabad are always prepared to dominate Afghanistan through shadier means if we decide to call it quits.

We should carpet bomb terrorist sanctuaries.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

He's an American citizen and it's a life at stake. We should do whatever we reasonably can to get him out alive. We've paid ransoms before we can do it again.

Then you create a viable business model. The Russians figured out the proper kind of response to this sort of thing decades ago.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

If I were him I'd say negotiate. If I were any other American vulnerable to kidnapping somewhere, I'd say no way.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

He's an American citizen and it's a life at stake. We should do whatever we reasonably can to get him out alive. We've paid ransoms before we can do it again.

Do that and Americans will be kidnapped all over the world. And here.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

I think there should be a state department public announcement that states, anyone visiting countries such as Iran, N.Korea, Iraq, Iran, Venezuela ect ect should not expect the US to negotiate their release as they were told it was a dangerous country to begin with.

I agree completely.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

He's an American citizen and it's a life at stake. We should do whatever we reasonably can to get him out alive. We've paid ransoms before we can do it again.

if we could do it quietly, yes. We don't negotaite with terrorists, except when we do. The terms are to close Gitmo.
Even if we did so, it couldn't be seen as a response to free this man.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

So much for working with Pakistan to help stabilze Afganistan. Think we hit N. Wazir again today with a drone, got some "foreign militants".

Pakistan has it's own internal problems with fundamentalism, and their own Taliban.
Just get out of the region, partnering with AfPak is parntnering with the devil, and no good can come from this.

This week's clashes in North Waziristan occurred less than one week after another jihadist group that operates in North Waziristan, the Ansarul Mujahideen, killed four Pakistani soldiers in an IED attack in the village Spinwam.

For years, the Pakistani military has promised the West that it would launch an offensive in North Waziristan to clear the tribal agency of the Taliban and al Qaeda, however it has failed to do so. Groups such as the Haqqani Network and Hafiz Gul Bahadar's Taliban faction, operate in North Waziristan, and are considered "good Taliban" by Pakistan's military and intelligence establishment as they do not openly support jihad against the state. But the Haqqanis and Bahadar fight in Afghanistan, and shelter and support al Qaeda, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and a host of terror groups that attack the Pakistani state and promote international jihad.

Read more: Pakistani military, Taliban clash in North Waziristan after suicide attack - The Long War Journal
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

In that case, what we need to do is pick the friendliest faction, help that faction consolidate its power over the others, and then stick with it. Simply throwing money at the country is simply an embarrassment and does very little to advance our interests. I personally favor strengthening our ties with India and making our support for Pakistan's civilian government secondary

It's not just that the Pakistani government cannot deal with the terrorists, it's that it actively supports them. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence funds, shelters, and arms the Afghan Taliban while guzzling on the billions of dollars that we provide in aid each year. The Taliban would not be as much of an existential threat today if Pakistan didn't consider it a useful tool for controlling Afghanistan. Our "friends" in Islamabad are always prepared to dominate Afghanistan through shadier means if we decide to call it quits.
Absolutely. dead nails on point! India has western ideals of making money, before religious extremism.
Work with India as much as possible, forget the den of vipers that is Pakistan.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

In that case, what we need to do is pick the friendliest faction, help that faction consolidate its power over the others, and then stick with it. Simply throwing money at the country is simply an embarrassment and does very little to advance our interests. I personally favor strengthening our ties with India and making our support for Pakistan's civilian government secondar

In a perfect world type scenario I would be in full agreement with you, but as long as we are pursuing interests in the region with a focus in Afghanistan we are stuck with them. For better or worst
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

I feel sorry for the guy but we have to realize there are countries out there that we have no business going to. you put your head in the lions mouth then you pray the lion isnt hungry. then there is the that guy who went to NK and was arrested and forced to read some type of confession,does he realize we are still at war with NK??he could have been arrested in put in POW camp.just like you wouldnt walk into a bad neighborhood at 2:00 am there are just some countries you need to stay out.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

Then you create a viable business model. The Russians figured out the proper kind of response to this sort of thing decades ago.

Auditoriums full of the bodies of your children and opera houses turned into mausoleums? Hostage taking and kidnapping is still commonplace in Russia, their response to it has been rather poor. I think ours is superior.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

Do that and Americans will be kidnapped all over the world. And here.

We've been doing it for decades as have other countries. It doesn't seem have a discernible impact one way or the other.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

Auditoriums full of the bodies of your children and opera houses turned into mausoleums? Hostage taking and kidnapping is still commonplace in Russia, their response to it has been rather poor. I think ours is superior.

Inside Russia - and their actions in Chechnya were not driven by a response to kidnapping. You are conflating unlike issues.

How many problems have they had with Hezbollah lately? How are Russian-flagged vessels doing with Somali Pirates lately?

You don't start negotiations with militant groups from a position of seeking mutually acceptable terms. That's a tactic you use on civilized peoples. You start instead from the position of credible deterrent.
 
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Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

Did anyone actually read the link? The guy wasn't vacationing there, he was contracted by and working with the US government. In whatever way, I hope someone is working for his release.
 
Re: American kidnapped in Pakistan begs Obama to negotiate with al Qaeda for his rele

hope he's not holding his breath. His O'ness would not rescue his own ambassador, why should he give a damn about this guy?
 
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