Unfortunately I don’t know much about the Dutch perspective on this. As an American, this is the kind of thing that gets America to go to war - why didn’t the Netherlands decide to intervene after MH17?
The U.S. shot down an Iranian passenger airliner and promoted the Navy captain who was in charge of the ship that did it. U.S. fighter pilots accidentally killed 20 people in Italy because they wanted to showboat. The Soviet Union shot down a Korean passenger airliner.
One does not go to war over such incidents unless you are already looking for an excuse to do so.
That said, we took responsibility for the Vincennes accident and paid reparations, as I recall. I wonder if Russia will ever do that much to compensate the Dutch.
They shot the plane down on purpose, they took smiling pictures amongst the wreckage, and they prevented the Dutch or anyone else from picking up the bodies.
I would have agreed with you had Russia accepted that it made a mistake. In the absence of something small as an acknowledgment and a formal apology (followed up by large monetary compensations for the victims’ families), it isn’t obvious to me how anytime can assume it was an accident.
The apology should have come immediately after the incident, without anyone asking for it.
It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. - Epictetus
syzarian|2 years ago
One does not go to war over such incidents unless you are already looking for an excuse to do so.
CamperBob2|2 years ago
dannyw|2 years ago
wewxjfq|2 years ago
newjersey|2 years ago
The apology should have come immediately after the incident, without anyone asking for it.
It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. - Epictetus