Hello sailors: view from the blogosphere

Last Modified: 05 Apr 2007
By: Channel 4 News

What the bloggers had to say about the release of the 15 British captives in the Persian standoff.

The surprise release of the British detainees by Iran has set the blogosphere buzzing.

Some saw it as a political ruse to show that President Ahmadinejad called the shots, others saw it as a weak UK unable to exert any influence.

Israel Rules writes that "our subsequent failure to mete out a severe military retribution has brought us to the current prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran".

Indeed, genrally the view is that the UK did not come out of this predicament particularly well, with Jewlicicous Jewlicious saying That the UK would rather blink and blush than risk confrontation with Iran.

"Without firing even a single shot, without going to war, without detracting further from their already negative image, and without addressing the key issue that interests the international community - nuclear power development - the Iranians managed to imply the danger of launching a war against them while ingratiating themselves and re-opening diplomatic channels with governments on the warpath with them."

However it could equally be seen as a victory for diplomacy, as the moderate voice says it "highlights the need for tactful diplomacy to solve problems that may appear intractable.

"Whatever the provocation, the concerned parties must talk instead of saber-rattling which seems to have become a favourite pastime of the present residents of the White House."

But the inability of the United Nations to act shows for leaning straight up that the organisation was "again shown to be a pathetic body of useless bureaucrats who cared more for self interest then for world peace."