Because it’s long since time that we started calling things like this by their true names, don’t you think? As always, my sympathies to the victims and their families: I wish that I could say that they will be released, unharmed, but of course that would be almost certainly a lie.
By now it should be clear to even the most foolish observer that kidnapping hostages and threatening to murder them if the terrorists’ demands are not met is not going to accomplish said terrorists’ goals. It didn’t work with us, it didn’t work with the Italians, it didn’t work with the South Koreans and it won’t work with the Turks. We are continuing to do what we deem necessary and appropriate, in a manner and timing as close to our own choosing as is humanly possible, and the multiple visions of groups of masked Islamist terrorists oh-so-courageously striking down one single helpless captive with knives is somehow failing to impress us with either their bravery or the inevitability of their victory. Indeed, they are doing their best to highlight the moral gulf between their cause and ours, to their detriment; I appreciate this, although I somehow doubt that they intended to do that for us.
They are also obviously not acting in the tenets of mainstream Islam, as even a cursory understanding of that religion would show. Yes, I am aware of the flaws in that faith; you will note that I am not an adherent myself, which should be diagnostic of my opinion of it. But it is not even remotely an pernicious belief system, it does not celebrate ritual murder and it does not permit the wanton acts of cruelty and evil that al-Qaeda routinely plans and carries out. I believe that my God and the Allah of Islam are One*; I find no such commonality between my Deity and al-Qaeda’s.
So, not geopolitics, not true religious belief… we’re left with maltheism and necromancy. I don’t know whether they think that they’re entered on this course of human sacrifice in order to appease or entice their god; either way it will avail them not. We’re still going to win.
And I think that the terrorists know it, too. Why else take the time-honored tactic of mountebanks everywhere and ‘call for’ protests that they knew full well would occur anyway, if not to give themselves wiggle room for when their sacrifices do not produce the desired effects?
(Via OTB)
Moe
*I work on the assumption that the relevant Authorities will straighten everything out in the end. Besides, I have my own soul to worry about, thanks.
I think these jihadist know the threatened country will not do what they want, however they want new recruits to see that they are “committed” to doing want they say they will do…they know what their audience is impressed with “steadfastness” and “commitment”
Personally, I half-hope al Qaeda keeps pursuing this line of attack. Don’t get me wrong, I think the beheadings are /barbaric/, and especially cruel to the families of the victims. But speaking strictly pragmatically, the death toll is much lower than bombings, and al Qaeda has yet to figure out that the beheadings are /completely and totally counterproductive/ to their cause. They’re pissing people off and they’re not getting what they want out of it.
America didn’t give in to their demands over Nick Berg. South Korea didn’t over Kim Sun-il. And Turkey has now stated they won’t for their hostages. Brave to all three governments on this issue: when al Qaeda does things like this, they actually seem to be alienating moderate and undecided Muslims, and galvanize the populations of countries whose response to the issue of terrorism has been otherwise lukewarm.
Turk Beheading Next Video?
The Al Queda-linked Al-Zarqawi group in Iraq is set to behead three kidnapped Turkmen with 72 hours. (With extensive links to more than a dozen other top blogs covering this story, plus a directory of earlier related coverage.)
Turkish Hostages Threatened with Beheading
Another hostage video with a beheading threat – this time the hostages are from Turkey. It would appear their murderous methods are remaining the same for now. CNN: Terrorists in Iraq claimed to have kidnapped three Turkish citizens and threatened…
I think it is kind of like a hazing or initiation move. Some groups make you swallow goldfish, others make you kill an innocent hostage.
There may be moral distinctions between those types of initiations….
By now it should be clear to even the most foolish observer that kidnapping hostages and threatening to murder them if the terrorists’ demands are not met is not going to accomplish said terrorists’ goals.
But Moe, to determine whether something is meeting the terrorists goals or not, one has to know what those goals are.
I suspect that, aside from their stated goals, which are obviously bogus, they have several other goals:
If these assumed goals have some basis in reality, then I think each new snuff video produced is, in fact, having an effect, which is why we’re probably going to be seeing a lot more of them.
Two points:
a. The terrorists want media time. They can’t buy it with money (nobody wants to cash their checks, and they don’t really have enough, anyway), so they buy it with attrocities. Kidnapping and murder is a pretty efficient way of doing that, because they only have to find one person out of thousands of potential targets who is careless or unlucky, and they can issue some impossible demand, murder them in a grisly way, and millions of people will hear about it. All this takes is minimal competence and planning, a few personal weapons, a video camera, and maybe a getaway car.
b. If you were trying to establish your bonafides as an aspiring terrorist, this kind of attack might by what you chose. Among other things, it pretty-much proves you’re not a CIA agent, and that you’re now permanently on the hitlist of one or more wealthy and powerful governments.
The fact that these guys are evil doesn’t make them stupid, or irrational. (Their goals are nuts, but their methods are often pretty sensible.)
–John
The Tactics of Beheading
Sorry for the break in posting. I’ve been out of town. You may have noticed the recent uptick in highly publicized hostage-taking and murdering in the Middle East. The video-taped beheadings of innocent civilians are merely the very most atrocious…