Delicious LiveJournal Links for 7-4-2008

[andrewducker]

• How the Colombian hostages were freed
  Now _that_ is an impressive intelligence operation
  (tags: colombia military government hostages)
• Where the Hell is Matt?
  If this doesn't make you happy then there is something seriously wrong with you.
  (tags: dance video travel world)

Comments

[autopope.livejournal.com]

On the Columbian thing, that's a beautiful disinformation report; it'll have FARC chewing the guts out of their top echelon to find the spies (and I should note that the Columbian military have every incentive to lie to the press to encourage this behaviour). FARCs own reaction to the aftermath could be far more devastating for them than the actual loss of hostages and a senior officer. And there was the propaganda gesture of not harming the FARC soldiers -- that seems calculated to encourage defections when the coming purges get bloody.

[andrewducker]

Absolutely - the not harming soldiers is a _great_ bit of publicity.

I don't take these things at face value, of course - but even so, I have to say that getting the people out in that way is damned impressive.