Stan talks with Roger Carstens, former U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs and ex–Army Ranger/Special Forces officer, about high-stakes hostage negotiations and the realities of persuading adversaries.

Carstens explains how the hostage office was created after U.S. failures in Syria, argues engagement is essential despite “we don’t negotiate” rhetoric, and reports his team helped bring home 65 Americans and over 250 non-Americans.

He details preparation methods, identifying true decision-makers, and the often tougher “interagency combat” inside Washington. Case discussions include Russia prisoner swaps involving Viktor Bout, expanding negotiations into a multi-country deal, efforts to include Alexei Navalny, and the importance of allies.

He describes President Biden’s deep involvement with Gaza hostage families, contrasts Iranian tactics with other states, and emphasizes trust, empathy, transparency, intuition, and creativity.

01:55 Military Roots of Negotiation

02:57 Special Forces Mindset

05:22 Hostage Envoy Office Origins

07:21 Why You Must Engage

09:38 Inside a Russia Swap Prep

10:50 Finding the Real Decision Makers

14:50 Interagency Friction and Resilience

17:00 Families as Creative Partners

19:53 What Makes a Fair Trade

24:05 Hardest Negotiation Is Internal

25:27 Victor Bout After Release

26:28 Enlarging the Swap With Allies

28:35 Navalny on the Table

33:18 Allies and Trust at the Top

34:10 Biden and Gaza Hostage Families

36:47 Tragedy on the Call

38:45 White House Takes Lead

40:26 Relationships First

41:42 Iranian Negotiation Games

44:02 Winning Over the Taliban

47:45 Maduro and Venezuela Lessons

53:07 Intuition and Judgment

58:28 China and Building Rapport

01:01:39 Surging Trust Fast

01:06:33 Lightning Round and Closing

Host Stan Christensen has spent his career working as a professional negotiator in a variety of arenas. He has also taught a popular course on negotiation at Stanford University for over twenty years.