Those British sailors and marines are free, with their new suits and goody bags, courtesy of their friends in Iran. What a humiliating spectacle. This is a resounding victory for Iran's hardliners. In an area of the world where strength is respected and honor is still considered important, the Iranians have shown the British to be weak, unwilling or unable to defend their own servicemen, and willing to endure humiliation and debasement to keep their people safe. The Royal Navy failed miserably in preventing their initial capture, and the sailors and marines behaved reprehensibly during their captivity. It is not that they needed to go the John McCain route (who routinely cursed and spat at his Vietnamese captors), but simply that they could have maintained a dignified silence by refusing to give anything other than name, rank and service number. If I were a resident of any Middle Eastern nation, Sunni or Shia, Arab or Persian, Turkman or Kurd, I would certainly, watching it all unfold on Al Jazeera, take a great deal of satisfaction at watching the once haughty British (who perpetrated many an outrage against most of the peoples of the Middle East at one time or another) being laid so low. David Pryce-Jones agrees. So do the editors of the Telegraph of the UK.

The editors of the National Review think Iran won this one. Adrian Hamilton writing in the Independent says Iran won on points. David Frum thinks this brings us closer to war.

Victor Davis Hanson thinks the Iranian leaders are just begging to be bombed, which is why we should, in his opinion, think twice about giving them their wish.

The Syrians say they helped obtain the release of the Brits. This NY Sun article says the U.S. helped.

This op-ed piece in the NY Times says we should learn a lesson from the release of the British hostages, that engagement with Iran is the way to go. Here is another piece extolling the virtues of diplomatic engagement.