The lack of standardization and initiative in this event both amaze me. Is there no strong point they could have passed a rope through or round and then recruited a team of heavy horses from a local brewery to go on the other end?
Exactly: a push-back tug can pull as well as push. All it takes is some creative latertal thinking. What would they have done if the country where they were parked was under imminent threat of invasion, the airport in imminent danger of attack and the pax were the diplomatic crew of the airlines home country and they had flown in on a rescue mission? I doubt they'd be off to the nearest hotel waiting for a tow-bar.