It's hard
not to get caught up in all of the recent ISIS madness. As of posting this
entry, there have been 3 beheadings caught on tape and uploaded to YouTube.
Every journalist sent abroad knows the risks the job has. No one, however, is
ready to face the reality of these dangerous situations when they're
presented. Tourists and college students are always warned about what
may happen when they go abroad, especially females. They are reminded that the United States has a
strict policy on not paying ransoms for hostages. While many countries in Europe
make it their priority to pay for the release of hostages, the US has often
been criticized for their use of military force to save hostages as an alternative method. In cases like ISIS, however, it's hard to know what the
right choice is. Diane Foley,
the mother of the deceased stated that," Our government was very clear
that no ransom was going to be paid or should be paid," she said. "It
was horrible - and continues to be very horrible. You are between a rock and a
hard place." This sounds like every
family's horror story, but terrorist groups like ISIS exist solely because of
their ability to terrorize governments into paying for their ransoms. Paying a
ransom for a hostage encourages more kidnappings, and it becomes a vicious
cycle that only serves the terrorist organization. ISIS asked for $135 million
in order for the freedom of James Foley, knowing that the US government would never agree to pay the sum. The average sum negotiated per
prisoner is about 2 millions British Pounds. While many countries deny paying ransoms, it's been estimated that terrorist organizations have made about $120 million through ransom payments alone. Governments and people wonder
where these terrorist organizations get their money, but the answer evidently lies in
human lives. However well intentioned, these
European states are funding the terrorist organizations they are fighting to
stop. It is of course out of the question for people to ask that their governments
not save hostages, for the freedom and safety of every citizen is the highest
priority for every government. Finding a clear solution is a Sisyphean task;
governments will be criticized no matter what they do. Terrorist groups will always find a way to exploit human sympathy, and with the rise of social media their despicable actions will gain even more traction. The important thing to do know is to help ensure the safety of all vulnerable peoples to cut off their resources as quickly as possible.
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