Her Majesty's...Wimps!

I think we can be forgiven if, after watching a James Bond movie, in which James Bond is ready to die, or kill, for "Queen and country", that Her Majesty Royal Navy and Marines are brave and tough soldiers. But after watching the Iranian hostage drama, it's clear these soldiers are more wimps then anything else.

First they boarded an Indian merchant ship in Shatt al-Arab waterway between Iraq and Iran, apparently 1.7 nautical miles within Iraq waters, in the Strait of Hormuz, with no air cover or back up - the support ship HMS Cornwall was too far to respond to any situation. Next when the Iranian revolutionary guard took them into custody they didn't even fight back - these guys are supposed to be marines, for heaven sake.

Then comes the actual betrayal. Within few days, the women sailor, a marine, was on television, wearing a hijab, confessing to trespassing in Iranian water. This as Tony Blair started ratcheting up the pressure on Iran to release. And within another few days the rest of the crew were giving presentations, using maps on a wall, to tell the world that they were indeed in Iranian water! And offering apologizing for doing so. It's likely they didn't even see the walls of jail, much less being questioned by Iranian soldiers. These episodes completely undermined any leverage Tony Blair had.

And the liberal newspapers in British were entirely predictable. They made a big fuss about the women marine - suddenly she is a mother, apparently she is new mom, and Iranians are the barbarians for putting her on a television. So much for equal rights for sexes and feminism and equal roles in the armies! When it's get tough, progressiveness goes out the window!

There are lessons for Indian military in this with repeated clamour for role for women in our military. I support the women in military, but they should know the dangers involved in a military career and be prepared to accept what comes their way.

As soon as the Her Majesty's Frat Boys started confessing, for apparently nicer treatment, the British, despite a brave start, caved in. Some Iranian trouble makers in Iraq who were under the US forces custody started showing up in Tehran. I am sure deals were make about Iranian nuclear sanctions currently in UN and promises from US to back off from creating trouble in Iranian eastern districts were extracted. We won't know what UK, and, mainly, US, agreed to for the release of the 15 sailors.

The finally was even better. The tough talking Ahmedinejad decided, suddendly , to give a gift to the people of Britain! And the frat boys being frat boys were laughing and monkeying around with each other, in front of news cameras, ready to shake hands with Ahmedinejad. He shook the morons hands and gave them all gift baskets - just like they were visiting friends to Iran.

And diplomacy won!

That is the conclusion of the pundits the next day. Why don't we make more concession to Iran on the nuclear issue says one. This is the model for US and the west to follow with other countries. British editorials were thumping their chests about Ahmedinejad's tamasha even while talking of a grand bargain that Ahmedinejad has being rejecting for months now. I still have to read someone in India saying this the model for India to follow vis-a-vie Pakistan's terror in J&K.

So the wimps have come home. I am sure, now that they are safe, they'll be outraged at Iranian manipulation.

Looking at how this whole thing played out, does UK deserves to be in the Security Council anymore? It's pretty clear France doesn't. So why do these two minons have so much control over global affairs?