Good Example Of Political Science Essay - The Implementation of No Ransom Policy in the United States

Implementation of No Ransom Policy in the United States

The Implementation of No Ransom Policy in the United States
The United States has been very strict with its policy when it comes to paying ransom money to any individual or any kidnapping group that abducts U.S. citizens. This policy also applies outside the United States border as the government has its own tactics as to how they will save the kidnap victims. The government’s no ransom policy may be correct as it reduces the possibility of the terrorists and kidnappers to strengthen their profitable trade through criminal activities. However, with the implementation of such policy, there are various negative effects that have been affected many American people.

Who has harmed by the policy?

Normally, terrorist groups will demand a large amount of money from the U.S. government in exchange for the freedom of their victims. However, as the policy stated, no ransom money will be given and that the government will do its best to rescue the victims from the criminals’ hands. Not paying the ransom will not definitely stop the criminal minds from kidnapping American people; thus, will not prevent them from alluring the terrorists’ fundamentalist minds. In fact, the policy harms the kidnap victim themselves as they usually ended up lifeless from the hands of these criminals. No ransom policy means that victims who were neither assassins nor spies, who were just trying to provide news to the people or even save other people’s lives will die through excruciating pain (CBS News).
Moreover, this policy also harms the families of the victims as they cannot do anything to negotiate with their loved ones’ abductors. Family members will have no other options, but to wait what will happen to the government’s actions against the terrorists (Milbank, 2014). On the other hand, record shows that majority of the kidnapped victims were journalists, which therefore harm the freedom of information. Relatively, the no ransom policy also harms the terrorists themselves in a way that they will put themselves into war against military offenses instead of getting they are demanding.

Who implemented the policy?

This policy may have been started decades ago. The current administration did not start the implementation of this policy. Avoiding negotiations with the kidnappers started in 1970s. It was an event that the government decided not to pay any ransom when government officials and some diplomats were abducted. Kidnappers demanded cash payment in exchange for their freedom. The government was willing to talk to the kidnappers, but not willing to pay the cash payments. This event happened during the time of President Nixon (Jenkins, n.d.). From then on, the United States had this policy and still holding onto it. Currently, the government officials of the United States are still insisting that the terrorists are still aware and being affected by this policy.

Key points of the policy

Kidnapping done by terrorists is an investment and a business, which means that the terrorists’ goal in committing such crime is because of financial reasons. Being a well-financed group means that they have the capability to expand and fight for their fundamentalism and religious ideology.
Terrorists have already been funded due to other nation’s payment of ransom money, which therefore enables them to develop their intelligence operations that will further strengthen their group. In that sense, the U.S. government may hold its ransom policy against, but it has to develop and improve its strategies as to how they can increase the probability of rescuing any potential kidnap victims without getting killed.

References

CBS News. (201, October 19). ​Ben Stein: Time for us to pay ransom to terrorists - CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ben-stein-time-for-us-to-pay-ransom-to-terrorists/
Jenkins, B. M. (n.d.). Why the U.S. Swaps Prisoners but Doesn't Pay Ransom | RAND. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/blog/2014/09/why-the-us-swaps-prisoners-but-doesnt-pay-ransom.html
Milbank, D. (2014, December 23). Dana Milbank: Under the U.S. ransom policy, families pay a price - The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-under-the-us-ransom-policy-families-pay-a-price/2014/12/23/ece6f1c8-8ae2-11e4-8ff4-fb93129c9c8b_story.html