Canada refuses to extradict al Qaida suspect to US

[ShawnD1]

Depends on whether or not you consider Russia the developed world, but...notoriously the absolute worst prison environment in the world (of the non-despot countries, anyway).

Russia's GDP/person is about $10,000. USA is $47,000.
Simply put, Russia is a nation of cave dwelling spear hunters.

 

[skyking]

So we blew $500K on this?

Did the CIA not realize Pakistan would need Canada's permission to send him here? Or, did Pakistan hose us?

Fern

I'm sorry, but I had to laugh. 500k is a pittance compared to all the other ill-advised stuff the CIA has done over the years. Pardon me.

 

[werepossum]

Well if you use the phrase properly it definitely says that - equivalent retaliation.

Equivalent retaliation in this sense would be not extraditing criminals where you feel we have either apprehended them, or are going to punish them, in a manner which you do not deem appropriate in the universal sense (for example the death penalty).

Basically what you're advocating is throwing a tantrum because other countries are standing up for their legal and moral principles.

Not at all. I'm merely advocating that we find reasons to not extradite their wanted, just as they find reasons to not extradite ours. You cannot say Canada has legal and moral principles but America is not entitled to them, so I'm saying that our legal and moral principles be tuned to provide the same results as theirs. Surely apprehending accused terrorists and mass murderers is morally more important than, say, tax cheats or bank robbers. And it has the added benefit that tax cheats and bank robbers tend to bring in more money than do terrorists and mass murderers.

This is mostly stupid, particularly the bolded.

should we continue to stoop down to schoolyard antics? I thought we had had enough of that over the previous administration?

it is that kind of juvenile behavior that we outsourced in international affairs that has lead directly to this current foreign opinion of the US.

We are above that. Well, we should be.

Again, you cannot say that our wanting an accused terrorist is "schoolyard antics" but Canada's failure to produce him is principled opposition. Not after 9/11. Canada is concerned that an accused might be found guilty and put to death. We're concerned that terrorists may well consider Canada a safe haven; kill a bunch of people and Canada will refuse to extradite.

I do agree that paying a foreign agency to apprehend someone is a very bad policy, and that dealing with the ISI (or really, with Pakistan as a country) is very bad policy as well. Hopefully we can accelerate our departure from Afghanistan and have absolutely nothing further to do with Pakistan.

 

[zinfamous]

the sad thing is, that being a nuclear nation and a haven of terrorists--thus the most dangerous country on the planet--we can not afford to not deal with Pakistan.

 

[werepossum]

the sad thing is, that being a nuclear nation and a haven of terrorists--thus the most dangerous country on the planet--we can not afford to not deal with Pakistan.

In all seriousness, that's probably true. However, once we're out of Afghanistan we can do so with a much bigger stick and a much smaller carrot.

 

[actuarial]

Not at all. I'm merely advocating that we find reasons to not extradite their wanted, just as they find reasons to not extradite ours. You cannot say Canada has legal and moral principles but America is not entitled to them, so I'm saying that our legal and moral principles be tuned to provide the same results as theirs.

You're really proving my tantrum point here. Canada isn't looking for reasons not to extradite, there were clear reasons. A law enforcement agency paid people to apprehend, torture, and detain a suspect for over a year. If any other country did that to a US citizen you'd call for their heads.

And sure if America wants to enforce their principles then go ahead. Based on your principles I guess that means if China pays the ISI to capture, torture and detain an American citizen they deem a 'terror suspect' then the US will just turn them over to the Chinese government.

And since you extradite regardless of punishment, I guess that would also mean the US would turn over rape suspects to the ME for their lashes and stoning.

Surely apprehending accused terrorists and mass murderers is morally more important than, say, tax cheats or bank robbers. And it has the added benefit that tax cheats and bank robbers tend to bring in more money than do terrorists and mass murderers.

I agree. And what's also important is that the first world actually stands up against what it claims to be fighting.