The White House is reviewing its policy on hostage negotiations for U.S. citizens captured abroad. The family and employer of murdered journalist James Foley say they were prepared to pay a ransom, but the United States currently bans payments to terrorists. Meanwhile, European governments have paid millions to free their citizens.
U.S. Reviews Policy on Citizens Taken Hostage
The White House is reviewing its policy on hostage negotiations for U.S. citizens captured abroad. The family and employer of murdered journalist James Foley say they were prepared to pay a ransom, but the United States currently bans payments to terrorists. Meanwhile, European governments have paid millions to free their citizens.
(Etienne de Malglaive/Getty Images)
Guests:
Gary Noesner, former chief of the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Unit and author of "Stalling for Time," a memoir of his 30 years as a hostage negotiator
Robert Mnookin, chair of the program on negotiation at Harvard Law School
Mitchell Reiss, president & CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation & author of "Negotiating with Evil: When to Talk to Terrorists"
Philip Balboni, co-founder & CEO of GlobalPost, the online news company employing journalist James Foley, who was freelancing at the time of his capture in Syria in 2012