Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Wiser
For aspqrz: Every Western agent betrayed by the traitors Aldrich Ames and Robert Hansen was executed, but one: Oleg Gordievsky, who was extracted by MI-6 in 1985 and gave the first impression of the Soviet view of ABLE ARCHER.
For betraying those agents, both Ames and Hansen should have been executed, IMHO.
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But those agents executed were traitors, too! Including Gordievsky.
In wartime executing spies is fine, as they have the potential to kill many (thousands, tens of thousands etc) servicemen or civilians on the side they are spying on ... and that's condoned by the Hague and Geneva Conventions, following long standing practise (but isn't always followed through with, anyway).
In peacetime, when
all sides are attempting to use foreigners as spies in their own (the foreigners) countries, usually with some success, but rarely causing more than a handful of deaths, often amongst traitors against the country fielding the traitors in the other country, then it would seem to me that what your position is is that it is OK for one side to use traitors, but not the other.
For example, I am sure that the
US has spies in Australia, and that some Australians are
traitors working for the US. Should we, if we catch them, execute them? I am sure that their treason has, on occasion, caused the death of Australians or negatively affected Australian interests ... so we would be justified in doing so, according to you?
And you'd be fine with that?
Should Pollard (spying for Israel in/against the US) have been executed, or should he have been exchanged, as the Israelis have tried for several times? And how about the Israeli traitor, Yosef Amit, who was (evidently) spying for the US and/or NATO against the Israelis? Should he have been executed?
Phil