Given that hostage taking is again in the spotlight after the October 7 Hamas attacks, what is the latest status of Washington’s hostage policy? What can we learn from a review of the past several decades of hostage crises worldwide? And is it possible for Americans to avoid hostage situations in the coming years, even while tensions between democratic and non-democratic countries appear to be on the rise? 

Join Jack and Julia for a thoughtful discussion about the recent history of hostage taking, where we grapple with the question of how to best respond to the threat, and what the future might hold. On this episode, we’ll consider:

• The evolution of hostage threats to US citizens- from Latin America to the Middle East
• How and why the United States has historically decided to respond to hostage takers, and the use of both policy and force in deterrence
• Why democratic societies are more susceptible to hostage crises in the first place, and what this means for our collective future