Rome
RECENTLY, Daniele Mastrogiacomo, a 52-year-old journalist for the center left Italian newspaper La Repubblica, returned safely to Rome after being held for two weeks by Taliban rebels in Afghanistan.
Mastrogiacomo’s safe return following his abduction on March 5th in the volatile southern Helmand province (along with his Afghan driver, who was beheaded in front of him, and his interpreter, whose whereabouts are still unknown) appeared to be a triumphant ending to a nightmarish drama. Instead, the jubilation felt by many Italians subsided as the details surrounding the journalist’s release surfaced.
After Mastrogiacomo was freed, the Taliban military commander Mullah Dadullah claimed that Afghan authorities released five senior Taliban officials, including his brother, in exchange. This claim was initially considered fictitious. But Italy’s deputy Foreign Affairs minister, Ugo Intini, confirmed this claim during his briefing before the Italian senate at the end of March. As Intini explained, the swap was made in conjunction with Emergency, an Italian aid group based in Afghanistan, which served as a mediator in the negotiations.
The first concern was the Italian government’s decision to overstep the traditional means of state diplomacy and place negotiations in the hands of a non-governmental organization rather than the Italian Military Intelligence and Security Service, which is trained in counter-terrorism. But even more alarming was Italy’s willingness to appease terrorists.
The Italian government’s negotiations represents the first time a Western government has openly swapped prisoners for kidnapped victims since the onset of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. As Vittorio Feltri, director of the right-leaning Italian newspaper Libero said, “The price [for Mastrogiacomo’s release] was too high.” The governments of the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and Holland have all expressed their extreme disappointment with the Italian decision to negotiate with Islamist terrorists. Indeed, the Italian government has set off worried debate not only abroad, but also at home.
WHILE ITALY CURRENTLY DEPLOYS 1,938 soldiers to the NATO-led Enduring Freedom operation in Afghanistan, many Italians, such as former prime minister and opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi, fear the country’s image has been irreparably damaged. It gives the message to the West that “we’re no longer a trustworthy ally,” Berlusconi said.
The incident marks the first time Italy has chosen appeasement. Not even when the Red Brigades kidnapped Italy’s former Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978 did the country capitulate to the demands of terrorists.
History shows that such deals only invigorate the enemy. Indeed, one of the Taliban militants who was released in the exchange, Ustad Yasir, immediately proclaimed his commitment to return to jihadist activities “to hunt down invaders and fight nonbelievers.” This should dispel the illusion that if we negotiate with terrorists, we’ll avoid further conflicts with them in the future.
Amy K. Rosenthal is a writer for Italy’s conservative daily, Il Foglio, who lives in Rome and Jerusalem.
