Should governments offer to pay a ransom for the release of hostages?

Should governments offer to pay a ransom in return for the release of hostages?

The Italian government, as we know, has done this previously, and their hostages were released unharmed.

In light of the four hostages being held in Iraq, who's deadline is today, should ransom money be offered as a final attempt to secure their release?

Asking them to talk I don't think is enough...the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, has said that the line for negotiation is still open...so why not ask the kidnappers "How much money do you want?"

It might very well fail, but as the Italian government has shown, it might also very well succeed.

These kidnappers have issued the demand that all of the detainees being held in Iraq be released...but would they STILL have this as their ONLY demand if they were offered say...$5 million in cash to release their hostages? Would they drop the detainee demand and just instead release the hostages and then take the money and run?

Do you think that governments should offer to pay a ransom in return for the release of hostages?

:popcorn:

On Edit: Changed two words.

:popcorn:

check out the south american model (Brazil, I think) where kidnapping is a way of life.

If you want to encourage kidnappers, start paying them when they succeed.

a profitable business venture.

we are way past any kind of principle about this or that. Now suddenly this is the one thing that can SAVE LIVES, and there is some kind of phony moralism that saysd let 'em die.

encourage other organizations to try the same thing. Not to mention the kidnapees should have realized that it could happen to them by being there. Doesn't matter what organization you belong to. You are a westerner and therefore fair game.

and they don't need any encouragement any way and the money is there, so pay to get these people out.