Brittney Griner, a basketball player in the W.N.B.A, was arrested for bringing cannabis to Russia after having traveled there for a basketball game. The United States is planning on trading Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death”, for Griner and former marine Paul Whelan.
Some say that America should do the trade because they should prioritize their citizens’ lives over a “foreign criminal”. The CIA chief of staff, Jeremy Bash, stated, “We value our own citizens a thousand times more than we value the foreign criminal. Israel takes the same approach. They’d trade a thousand Hamas fighters for one I.D.F. soldier. We in the U.S. take the same attitude. We will do almost anything to save an American life.”
Others, however, think that they shouldn’t trade a civilian for a criminal. The former UN ambassador and national security adviser, John R. Bolton, said, “I take a pretty hard line on it. It’s one thing to exchange prisoners of war. It’s one thing to exchange spies when you know that’s going on. [But] negotiations and exchanges with terrorists or with authoritarian governments [become dangerous] because then you’re just putting a price on the next American hostage.”
However, the US should still consider the implications of what it means to release two civilians for a criminal. As msn put it, “Mr. Bout is not some Russian hockey player held in an American gulag because President Joe Biden wants to hurt Russia and win its concessions. Bout is in federal prison because he is an arms dealer who was convicted of numerous very serious charges, including conspiracy to murder American citizens.”
Even though Griner was unfairly sentenced to nine years in prison, trading her for a known criminal could send a message that the United States is a pushover. As The Washington Examiner puts it, “Instead, Washington should adopt the same approach it applies to terrorist groups who take Americans hostage: When faced with aggression, exert increased pressure.”
Link to Article:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659263427193x621719543737524700/Why%20the%20U.S.%20Offered%20to%20Swap%20Griner%20for%20Bout%2C%20a%20Russian%20Arms%20Dealer%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
Some say that America should do the trade because they should prioritize their citizens’ lives over a “foreign criminal”. The CIA chief of staff, Jeremy Bash, stated, “We value our own citizens a thousand times more than we value the foreign criminal. Israel takes the same approach. They’d trade a thousand Hamas fighters for one I.D.F. soldier. We in the U.S. take the same attitude. We will do almost anything to save an American life.”
Others, however, think that they shouldn’t trade a civilian for a criminal. The former UN ambassador and national security adviser, John R. Bolton, said, “I take a pretty hard line on it. It’s one thing to exchange prisoners of war. It’s one thing to exchange spies when you know that’s going on. [But] negotiations and exchanges with terrorists or with authoritarian governments [become dangerous] because then you’re just putting a price on the next American hostage.”
However, the US should still consider the implications of what it means to release two civilians for a criminal. As msn put it, “Mr. Bout is not some Russian hockey player held in an American gulag because President Joe Biden wants to hurt Russia and win its concessions. Bout is in federal prison because he is an arms dealer who was convicted of numerous very serious charges, including conspiracy to murder American citizens.”
Even though Griner was unfairly sentenced to nine years in prison, trading her for a known criminal could send a message that the United States is a pushover. As The Washington Examiner puts it, “Instead, Washington should adopt the same approach it applies to terrorist groups who take Americans hostage: When faced with aggression, exert increased pressure.”
Link to Article:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659263427193x621719543737524700/Why%20the%20U.S.%20Offered%20to%20Swap%20Griner%20for%20Bout%2C%20a%20Russian%20Arms%20Dealer%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
