February 16, 2005
Reality Bites
An Italian Communist anti-war journalist, Giuliana Sgrena, starred in a "Mujahideen Without Borders" video released to the Associated Press today, calling (in French, appropriately enough) for the "end of the occupation of Iraq."
A vigorous anti-war protestor, Sgrena's video was shown just hours before Italy's Senate started voting on extending the nation's 3,000-member military mission in Iraq until June.
I'm a tiny bit skeptical.
A mention in the MSNBC version of the story made it sound like she was not only starring in the video, but directing it:
At one point, her eyes watering as she struggled to recite her message, she waved the camera to stop. [my emphasis]An unknown group snatches a terrorist-sympathizing journalist, presumably for ransom, and the video just happens to show up in time to try to influence a vote? Is this timing the idea of the abductors, or hers? They both have similar political agendas, so the possibility should not be ruled out, and while no one in the Italian government would mention it, I'd be very surprised if that possibility had not been discussed internally.
It is quite possible, however, that Sgrena is experiencing a rude awakening. She very well may have been jarred with the reality that her captors are the occupiers in Iraq, not American troops, and that they are not the nice revolutionaries she may have liked to believe that they were.
Maybe if more armchair leftists got the full hostage experience firsthand, then they would understand that they have been cheering for the wrong side. Education is sometimes a brutal experience that I think Sgrena is unfortunately finding out firsthand.
Note: The BBC seems to share a bit of skepticism as well over the timing of the release of the video. The video, by the way, did not keep the Italian Senate from extending their presence in Iraq.
