US-RUS prisoner exchange
Americans are celebrating the exchange of several
convicted
Russian spies and agents for several journalists and political activists that Putin took hostage.
To me this deal seems to be a victory for Putin, of a sort that will lead him to keep grabbing
hostages whenever there are convicted Russian spies he wants to protect.
It seems to me that the patriotic hostage says, "Don't ransom me if that harms my country!" And the
prudent traveler stays away from countries such as
Russia,
China
and
Iran,
that are likely to grab a hostage to exchange.