thedrifter
04-12-06, 07:50 AM
Viewpoint: Jill Carroll in context
Thomas Houlahan
April 5, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Jill Carroll has been free for only a few days and already the recriminations are beginning. Since her abduction, there has been a small but steady chorus of critics claiming that she "brought this on herself". Now they are being joined by people who have been critical of statements that she made while in, and immediately following, her captivity.
It strikes me that examining her behavior in the context of what was happening around and to her might be useful.
First, let's address the claim that she "brought this on herself".
When the occupation started going south, a lot of journalists fled Iraq. Carroll stayed at her post. When many of those who remained confined themselves to reporting from secure perimeters, she continued to go where the information was.
Before her release I spoke to a number of people who knew Carroll in Iraq, including US Marines that she patrolled with in November. Concerns were voiced that she sometimes ventured into areas where her safety could not be guaranteed.
No one, however, ever indicated that they believed that she took risks in a search for personal glory. It was a matter of her believing that you couldn't tell the story of Iraq without interviewing common people and being willing to face the unfortunate fact that some of those people reside outside our secured perimeters.
Unfortunately, Carroll was unaware that a few grotesquely irresponsible army officers had decided that if you couldn't catch the insurgent for whom you were looking, you could flush him out by arresting and detaining his wife (documents back this up).
Carroll also didn't know that once this practice was discovered, senior army officers failed to rectify the situation by releasing women against whom there was insufficient evidence in a timely manner.
Carroll therefore didn't know that certain Sunni insurgent groups were looking to kidnap an American female reporter for use as trade bait.
Because of the journalistic beliefs that she held, she was possibly the most exposed female American journalist in Iraq, and she got kidnapped.
Her fault? I don't think so.
As to the criticism about the statements she made while in captivity, there are times, when as a writer, words fail me. This is one of them.
I simply lack the craft to describe the feeling I get when I listen to people who have never once risked their lives for anything, and probably never would, basically saying that rather than make those statements, Jill Carroll should have spat in her captors' faces and been beheaded.
Jill Carroll did what she could to save her life, and that's fine with me, because as far as I can see, her government was doing next to nothing on her behalf. I believe that Jill Carroll was written off, pure and simple.
It is abundantly clear to me that the administration of George W. Bush viewed Jill Carroll as an unfortunate casualty of war, and was perfectly willing to accept her death. There have been claims that the government was working non-stop to secure her release, behind the scenes, of course. However, I have found no indication that this was the case. I was looking hard for signs of serious government interest in her plight from the day of her abduction to the day of her release. I found none.
One critic has raised a question that I believe deserves a respectful answer.
After praising her courage, Howard Kurtz wondered aloud why Jill Carroll had seemed bent, in her first interview, at pointing out how well she was treated. He then provided what I believe is the correct answer to his own question when he mentioned that his colleagues in Baghdad pointed out: "When that interview was taped, Carroll was still in the custody of a Sunni political party with ties to the insurgency. It may have just made sense for her to be especially cautious."
To a terrorized person, an open door is not an open door, and she had no way of knowing whether or not she had truly reached safety. So she was careful. End of story.
In good time, Jill Carroll will tell us exactly what happened during those 82 days of captivity. Or, maybe she won't. Either way, I'm just glad this situation ended happily and she can get back to her reporting, which I've found to be fair and insightful.
Thomas Houlahan is an associate of the William R. Nelson Institute for Public Affairs and a former member of the 82nd Airborne Division. Acknowledgement to United Press International
Ellie
Thomas Houlahan
April 5, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Jill Carroll has been free for only a few days and already the recriminations are beginning. Since her abduction, there has been a small but steady chorus of critics claiming that she "brought this on herself". Now they are being joined by people who have been critical of statements that she made while in, and immediately following, her captivity.
It strikes me that examining her behavior in the context of what was happening around and to her might be useful.
First, let's address the claim that she "brought this on herself".
When the occupation started going south, a lot of journalists fled Iraq. Carroll stayed at her post. When many of those who remained confined themselves to reporting from secure perimeters, she continued to go where the information was.
Before her release I spoke to a number of people who knew Carroll in Iraq, including US Marines that she patrolled with in November. Concerns were voiced that she sometimes ventured into areas where her safety could not be guaranteed.
No one, however, ever indicated that they believed that she took risks in a search for personal glory. It was a matter of her believing that you couldn't tell the story of Iraq without interviewing common people and being willing to face the unfortunate fact that some of those people reside outside our secured perimeters.
Unfortunately, Carroll was unaware that a few grotesquely irresponsible army officers had decided that if you couldn't catch the insurgent for whom you were looking, you could flush him out by arresting and detaining his wife (documents back this up).
Carroll also didn't know that once this practice was discovered, senior army officers failed to rectify the situation by releasing women against whom there was insufficient evidence in a timely manner.
Carroll therefore didn't know that certain Sunni insurgent groups were looking to kidnap an American female reporter for use as trade bait.
Because of the journalistic beliefs that she held, she was possibly the most exposed female American journalist in Iraq, and she got kidnapped.
Her fault? I don't think so.
As to the criticism about the statements she made while in captivity, there are times, when as a writer, words fail me. This is one of them.
I simply lack the craft to describe the feeling I get when I listen to people who have never once risked their lives for anything, and probably never would, basically saying that rather than make those statements, Jill Carroll should have spat in her captors' faces and been beheaded.
Jill Carroll did what she could to save her life, and that's fine with me, because as far as I can see, her government was doing next to nothing on her behalf. I believe that Jill Carroll was written off, pure and simple.
It is abundantly clear to me that the administration of George W. Bush viewed Jill Carroll as an unfortunate casualty of war, and was perfectly willing to accept her death. There have been claims that the government was working non-stop to secure her release, behind the scenes, of course. However, I have found no indication that this was the case. I was looking hard for signs of serious government interest in her plight from the day of her abduction to the day of her release. I found none.
One critic has raised a question that I believe deserves a respectful answer.
After praising her courage, Howard Kurtz wondered aloud why Jill Carroll had seemed bent, in her first interview, at pointing out how well she was treated. He then provided what I believe is the correct answer to his own question when he mentioned that his colleagues in Baghdad pointed out: "When that interview was taped, Carroll was still in the custody of a Sunni political party with ties to the insurgency. It may have just made sense for her to be especially cautious."
To a terrorized person, an open door is not an open door, and she had no way of knowing whether or not she had truly reached safety. So she was careful. End of story.
In good time, Jill Carroll will tell us exactly what happened during those 82 days of captivity. Or, maybe she won't. Either way, I'm just glad this situation ended happily and she can get back to her reporting, which I've found to be fair and insightful.
Thomas Houlahan is an associate of the William R. Nelson Institute for Public Affairs and a former member of the 82nd Airborne Division. Acknowledgement to United Press International
Ellie