I haven’t watched the video or any parts of it. The stills are enough for my stomach. I do not need to see anything more. I know what they are and what their goals are.
The following excerpt addresses what Foley says in the video, how he says it and why he says it. It is the opinion of one hostage negotiator. I am not posting as fact, only something to take into consideration.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2730354/Five-minutes-savagery-video-slick-sickening.html
(excerpt)
“.....People will, of course, say anything if a metaphorical gun is being held to their head. However the sheer vehemence of Foley’s delivery is remarkable.
This led to some speculation yesterday that, after nearly two years in captivity, he had been affected by ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, the psychological condition under which hostages begin to empathise with their captors.
A better explanation, however, is that Foley was instead simply unaware of how close he was to death.
He may well have previously undergone mock killings, in which he was released unharmed in return for obeying his captors. He could also have been misled about the context in which his statement was to be made public.
‘Typically, hostages about to be killed go into shock, and almost shut down, but here, he seems incredibly clear and lucid,’ says Chris Chainey, a former hostage negotiator with the UK police who has worked to free hostages in Iraq.
‘That suggests to me that he doesn’t know he’s about to be killed, and thinks that he still has something to gain from co-operating with his captors.’
Chainey’s thesis is supported by the fact that the propaganda video appears to have been filmed in several separate ‘takes’.
The first clip - in which Foley speaks - shows him looking focused and relatively calm while he appears to read the script out as instructed.
The second clip, in which his murderer speaks, seems to have been shot some time later (Foley’s microphone has been removed). It shows the journalist sweating and twitching - suggesting he has realised the fate that awaits him....”