Morning CoSo. 🕯️
As promised, today I have a piece that explores the history of political kidnappings, in war and for profit, with an eye to pushing back on armchair analysts.
As "easy" as these exchanges might look at a distance, there is a lot of pain and fraught history behind negotiating ceasefires and prisoner/hostage swaps.
There also isn't a great success rate.
This weekend, may we all be thankful for our safety, & grieve for those still waiting for their own.
https://onlysky.media/mclark/wartime-hostages-and-armchair-analysts/
@MLClark
The quality of reporting and thoughtful analysis I have access to has gone up noticeably because of you and so many others here in CoSo.
Thank you.
Emphasis on the "so many others here" - because this ecosystem of active readers and excellent subject experts has definitely helped me come at my work with more clarity of purpose.
In my last social media ecosystem, everything was superficial signal-boosting and SEO management to get higher on search results. And the humanist in me was having a *really* hard time believing there was any use in aspiring to more under neoliberalism.
Engaged humans make the difference.
So thank *you*.