New School Politics

British Sailors: Trial for Treason?

Eftychis | 7 04 2007

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The actions of the British sailors and marines who were captured by the Iranians and recently released were despicable. There is no soldier in the US Military that would have placed such shame upon their country and their own honor.

Not only did the British sailors not resist, but their lack of preparation and protection shows the pathetic nature of the British Navy and brings their military capabilities into question. To put it simply, the conduct of the British sailors was unacceptable from start to finish.

Not only did the British not provide proper air and sea support to protect the sailors conducting the search of the vessel in question, but there also was no effort by the British Military to stop the Iranian forces. When the British saw the Iranians entering international water against the UN mandate they immediately should have fired warning shots across the bows of the Iranian vessels. The fact that the British surrendered themselves without offering any resistance has made the Royal Navy the laughingstock of the international community.

If the Iranian videos of the British sailors are a tell about the British navy it is that the men in the Royal Navy look like back stabbing euro trash and that the British navy has an affinity for recruiting over weight women to conduct military operations (a contrast to the US Navy Seals).

In addition, the British should have explicitly stated that they had military options on the table. The biggest mistake made by Jimmy Carter (one reason he should be tried for treason) was that not only did he not respond to an open declaration of war on the United States, but he also publicly stated that the United States would not engage the Iranians militarily. It is by the pure grace of the Iranians that the sailors were released and will now be used as a huge propaganda device by the Iranian regime.

As soon as the British sailors were taken hostage, Tony Blair should have announced that the Iranians had fifteen days to release the sailors or that they would face severe consequences. Some of these consequences could have included raids by US and British soldiers against Iranian oil and natural gas facilities in the Persian Gulf. In addition, the Iranian Embassy in England could have been seized, and the EU could have banned the entry of any new Iranians into any country in the European Union.

The Iranians have declared war on America multiple times, and they have consistently been met without a response. The failure by the international community to respond to the inappropriate actions by Iran not only signals to Iran that they can get away with anything, but also informs other rogue nations that there are not consequences for their actions. In addition, by allowing the British sailors to go unpunished for their un-soldierly conduct, we demonstrate to Islamic extremists that we no longer have any resolve. I have to wonder if anyone in office has the gall to fight Islamic extremists.

Editor’s Note: Some spelling and punctuation fixed at 6PM EST 4/8/07.