The Quiet American

I was delighted last night to see the release of the journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling. This was as close to a win-win situation that we could have hoped for. At least, their release was secured with no downside, other than to have graced North Korea with a visit by a high level official. It is not at all clear who initiated this negotiation (from what I am hearing it was the North Korean's idea), however it is clear that the preparation for this meeting has been going on for months.

Importantly though, they have been going on quietly.

This whole incident surprised the media, who it seems are still trying to get to terms with the sudden good news. The usual suspects are trying to tarnish the reputation of anything that this administration is responsible for. However, this situation was handled in much the same way as the American shipping captain taken hostage by the Somali pirates. Quiet, behind the scenes diplomacy, with an appropriate amount of force when necessary. It is too difficult at this point to say who deserves the most credit, but to a large extent it doesn't matter. It was handled brilliantly. I could get used to this quiet form of foreign policy.

Much better than just bombing people.