The decapitation disassemblyline continues:
A video posted online Tuesday showing a masked militant threatening to kill two kneeling Japanese men has confronted Japan with the same sort of hostage nightmare already faced by the United States and other nations. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to try to save the men, while also saying he would not give in to intimidation.
A blatantly contradictory statement. Abe doesn't have the ability to rescue Messrs. Jogo and Yukawa by force.....
The crisis could also create a different sort of challenge for Mr. Abe, who was traveling in the Middle East when the video appeared. Political analysts said the images of the young Japanese men, dressed in the same kind of orange jumpsuits worn by hostages who were beheaded in previous videos, could mean trouble for Mr. Abe, by turning Japan’s still deeply pacifist public against his pursuit of a more active role for Japan in global security issues.
....and he doesn't have the resources to pay the ransom:
The video, posted by extremists of the Islamic State, showed the two Japanese men, identified as Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa, kneeling on a rocky hillside with the knife-wielding militant standing between them. The militant appeared to be reading a prepared statement, demanding that Tokyo pay a ransom of $200 million within 72 hours.
The militant linked the ransom demand to an offer that Mr. Abe made on Saturday, promising nonmilitary aid to nations aligned against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Mr. Abe pledged $200 million to help shore up the government of Iraq and to assist refugees in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon who have fled the Islamic State’s rise.
“To the Japanese public, just as how your government has made the foolish decision to pay 200 million to fight the Islamic State, you now have 72 hours to pressure your government in making a wise decision by paying the 200 million to save the lives of your citizens,” the masked man said in the video, speaking in English with what sounded like a British accent. “Otherwise this knife will become your nightmare.”
No Western leader wants to be seen as negotiating with jihadsts - other than Barack Obama, anyway - but Abe really doesn't have any other choice, unless the United States starts belatedly fighting the Islamic State for real, in which case they could be wiped out in a matter of weeks. But then there's that prickly matter of Barack Obama being a jihadi-symp. So I guess the Japanese are up the proverbial Euphrates without a paddle.
Consider this a template for how ISIS will disassemble any "coalition" that Barack Obama pretends to put together. Given that the U.S. is and has always been the glue of any such alliance, well, on whom would you bet your $200 million?
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