Revealing Ransoms

A debate is raging in Italy on whether paying ransom money to insurgent groups in Iraq is an acceptable strategy -BBC

In other news,


Recovered "Blue Dress"

What do these stories have in common?

1) Woman taken hostage.

2) Doubts about whether ransom was paid.

3) If ransom was paid, those who paid have incentive to deny they did.

Difference? In one case, the hostage takers have a propaganda incentive to claim ransom was paid. In the other, they do not.

No word on the name of the woman in the blue dress.