Foreign Policy

Bush Rules Out Ransom for Hostages in Iraq

December 6, 2005 ⋅  E-Mail Article ⋅  Print Article ⋅ Post a comment

Just hours after Al-Jazeera broadcast a video displaying Iraqi militants with a hostage, President Bush stated that the United States will not pay ransom for American citizens reported kidnapped by Iraqi insurgents, Bush stated, “We, of course, don’t pay ransom for any hostages. However, in a February CNN article from 2002 it was stated that, “WASHINGTON (CNN) — In a major policy reversal on international hostage-taking, Bush administration officials said Wednesday that the United States might sometimes pay ransom to kidnappers. However, the officials also stressed that the government would be aggressive in recovering the money once a hostage was safely released…

The message, one senior U.S. official said, is that “we’re going to get you. We’re not going to walk away.” The amended policy — which President Bush signed last week (2002) — was announced Wednesday. The United States will become more actively involved whenever any American is taken hostage — not just when a government employee is abducted or in high-profile cases such as the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, officials said.Cnn.Com, 2002)”

Most probably did not notice this shift in policy in 2002 and most probably did not notice there was a change back. So where does this leave American citizens taken hostage abroad? It leaves you in Gods good graces. The government has again stated it will do all it can in its power to recover any American citizen taken hostage abroad. However, no ransom whatsoever will be paid to terrorist; the administration feels that acquiescing to even one demand will only encourage this type of behavior and tactic.

Bush made his recent comments on ransom demands just hours after Al-Jazeera broadcast a video in which it displayed a kidnapped U.S. security consultant, a blond man, sitting with his hands tied behind his back, surrounded by militants, was displayed.
The authenticity of the video has not been confirmed but the hostage video displayed images of a U.S. passport and identification card.

Bush stated that, “The only thing the enemy has got going for them is the capacity to take innocent life and to get on our TV screens with the devastation that they cause.”

Bush Rules Out Ransom for Captives in Iraq

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