American Hostages More Likely to Die than Others from the West

Peter Bergen wrote for CNN about the International Security program's new report that explores Western hostage policies, "To Pay Ransom or Not to Pay Ransom?"

American hostages are more than twice as likely to die in captivity or remain captive as hostages from other Western nations, according to a report by New America released Sunday.

The report examined the cases of 1,185 Westerners from 32 countries who have been taken hostage overseas by terrorist, militant and pirate groups since 2001. This piece draws, in part, from that report.

The finding has important implications for the policies of the incoming Trump administration, which will have to decide whether to continue the Obama administration policy of not paying ransoms or making other kinds of concessions to secure the freedom of hostages, including whether to allow American corporations to raise money to free hostages without fear of prosecution.