After a Russian judge sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to 9 years in jail for carrying hashish oil, the US is stepping up negotiations with an offer to trade Griner and former marine Paul Whelan for Viktor Bout, the “Merchant of Death.”
Bout is infamous for being one of the most notorious arms dealers. He has sold weapons to Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and various governments and militants in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Algeria. One of the most wanted men of his time, he was eventually tracked down by the US government in Bangkok in 2008. He was extradited in 2010 and was convicted in 2011 to 25 years in federal prison.
While these prisoner exchanges are unpalatable, they are sometimes the only option on the table. Currently, it is uncertain whether this offer will go through. While Russia has sought the release of Viktor Bout, and they have confirmed the discussion on Thursday, they said their Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was too busy to talk. His spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said, “[Mr. Lavrov] will pay attention to this request when time permits. Now he has a busy schedule of international contacts.”
The prospect of exchanging a dangerous arms dealer that conspired to kill Americans and sold weapons to terrorists for the sake of two civilians has opened up much debate. One of the biggest questions was whether standards should apply when the US is negotiating for prisoners.
This question has troubled the leaders of the US from the very beginning, including George Washington when he bickered with the Continental Congress over a prisoner exchange with the British. Jimmy Carter’s failure to negotiate with the Iranians caused him to lose re-election, and Ronald Regan faced backlash over trading arms for hostages held by other Iranian groups. This situation was all too common during the Cold War when both sides captured spies and even journalists or civilians they accused of espionage for leverage.
On one side of the debate is the idea that the freedom of the captured civilians is more important than giving up Bout. Jeremy Bash, chief of the CIA in 2010 when the US made a spy exchange with Russia, says, “The fact that Bout is a big fish isn’t really part of the calculus. 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.”
On the other side, some think exchanging a dangerous arms dealer for a basketball player and a marine crosses the line. Former UN ambassador John Bolton says, “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 what’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.”
Another complication is how the time of Griner’s arrest coincided with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Many fear Russia is using Griner as leverage over the US to get something they want.
Rather interestingly, we don’t have a clear reason why Russia would want Bout’s liberation after over a decade of imprisonment. Any secrets he could have held would have long been spilled out and will be dated now. Perhaps, however, it is a feeling of comradeship.
Former ambassador to Moscow Micheal McFaul says, “There are lots of hints in Bout’s biography, even on his Wikipedia page, which suggests that he had close ties with Soviet and Russian intelligence. You know who else does? Putin. My guess is that Putin wants to liberate his comrade. Loyalty among these folks, the Chekists, runs deep.”
Since previous attempts to liberate Griner and the captured marine have failed, hopefully, this offer will go through, and the Phoenix Mercury will be able to rejoice in the return of its star. Let’s hope other athletes and civilians who travel to Russia don’t get detained as well.
Original 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
Supporting Articles:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11036569
https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/europe/brittney-griner-trial/index.html
Bout is infamous for being one of the most notorious arms dealers. He has sold weapons to Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and various governments and militants in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Algeria. One of the most wanted men of his time, he was eventually tracked down by the US government in Bangkok in 2008. He was extradited in 2010 and was convicted in 2011 to 25 years in federal prison.
While these prisoner exchanges are unpalatable, they are sometimes the only option on the table. Currently, it is uncertain whether this offer will go through. While Russia has sought the release of Viktor Bout, and they have confirmed the discussion on Thursday, they said their Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was too busy to talk. His spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said, “[Mr. Lavrov] will pay attention to this request when time permits. Now he has a busy schedule of international contacts.”
The prospect of exchanging a dangerous arms dealer that conspired to kill Americans and sold weapons to terrorists for the sake of two civilians has opened up much debate. One of the biggest questions was whether standards should apply when the US is negotiating for prisoners.
This question has troubled the leaders of the US from the very beginning, including George Washington when he bickered with the Continental Congress over a prisoner exchange with the British. Jimmy Carter’s failure to negotiate with the Iranians caused him to lose re-election, and Ronald Regan faced backlash over trading arms for hostages held by other Iranian groups. This situation was all too common during the Cold War when both sides captured spies and even journalists or civilians they accused of espionage for leverage.
On one side of the debate is the idea that the freedom of the captured civilians is more important than giving up Bout. Jeremy Bash, chief of the CIA in 2010 when the US made a spy exchange with Russia, says, “The fact that Bout is a big fish isn’t really part of the calculus. 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.”
On the other side, some think exchanging a dangerous arms dealer for a basketball player and a marine crosses the line. Former UN ambassador John Bolton says, “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 what’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.”
Another complication is how the time of Griner’s arrest coincided with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Many fear Russia is using Griner as leverage over the US to get something they want.
Rather interestingly, we don’t have a clear reason why Russia would want Bout’s liberation after over a decade of imprisonment. Any secrets he could have held would have long been spilled out and will be dated now. Perhaps, however, it is a feeling of comradeship.
Former ambassador to Moscow Micheal McFaul says, “There are lots of hints in Bout’s biography, even on his Wikipedia page, which suggests that he had close ties with Soviet and Russian intelligence. You know who else does? Putin. My guess is that Putin wants to liberate his comrade. Loyalty among these folks, the Chekists, runs deep.”
Since previous attempts to liberate Griner and the captured marine have failed, hopefully, this offer will go through, and the Phoenix Mercury will be able to rejoice in the return of its star. Let’s hope other athletes and civilians who travel to Russia don’t get detained as well.
Original 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
Supporting Articles:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11036569
https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/europe/brittney-griner-trial/index.html
