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When I lived/worked in a high-risk kidnapping environment, I ever got K&R insurance. What I wanted was "retribution insurance" -- some plan which would guarante

by rdl 8y ago

When I lived/worked in a high-risk kidnapping environment, I ever got K&R insurance. What I wanted was "retribution insurance" -- some plan which would guarantee some people would investigate and kill everyone in any substantial way affiliated with the kidnapping -- and to loudly communicate the existence of this policy in advance. Being recovered would be great, but having kidnappings deterred entirely would be even better. US citizenship largely serves this purpose, at least if it's a high profile kidnapping (which any kidnapping in Iraq/Afghanistan/etc. would have been.)

jerguismi 8y ago
I'm not sure if that would be an effective way to get kidnappings deterred. There are varied policies on kidnappings, discussed here: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/09/01/548032302/episode-792-the-ransom-problem https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/09/01/548032302/epis... Interestingly the "no ransoms" policy seems to be quite problematic.
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leonroy 8y ago
> US citizenship largely serves this purpose, at least if it's a high profile kidnapping (which any kidnapping in Iraq/Afghanistan/etc. would have been.) Seems it's a double edged sword being a US or indeed a UK or European citizen in places like Iraq/Afghanistan. On the one hand yes your government is a force to be reckoned with, on the other hand it makes you a huge target. I do however recall reading about the British Empire, where a British botanist was kidnapped by a tribe in Africa. The British army turned up and pounded the hills where the tribe were rumoured to be living with cannon balls continuously for a week. The botanist was let go. Things of course have changed now...I doubt the US or UK government could say to a kidnapper today 'alright we're going to drop artillery on your neighbourhood until you let our guy go'.
ASalazarMX 8y ago
> some plan which would guarantee some people would investigate and kill everyone in any substantial way affiliated with the kidnapping -- and to loudly communicate the existence of this policy in advance. [...] US citizenship largely serves this purpose I'd like to call this the "little madman theory".
adrianratnapala 8y ago
> US citizenship largely serves this purpose Yes. In fact this sort of service has traditionally been one of the main features of any decently functioning tribe. It is less true nation states. At best aristocrats got such a deal. Which is unfair, but is probably why nation states are more peaceful than small tribes.

by rdl 8y ago

jerguismi 8y ago

I'm not sure if that would be an effective way to get kidnappings deterred. There are varied policies on kidnappings, discussed here: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/09/01/548032302/episode-792-the-ransom-problem https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/09/01/548032302/epis... Interestingly the "no ransoms" policy seems to be quite problematic.

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leonroy 8y ago

> US citizenship largely serves this purpose, at least if it's a high profile kidnapping (which any kidnapping in Iraq/Afghanistan/etc. would have been.) Seems it's a double edged sword being a US or indeed a UK or European citizen in places like Iraq/Afghanistan. On the one hand yes your government is a force to be reckoned with, on the other hand it makes you a huge target. I do however recall reading about the British Empire, where a British botanist was kidnapped by a tribe in Africa. The British army turned up and pounded the hills where the tribe were rumoured to be living with cannon balls continuously for a week. The botanist was let go. Things of course have changed now...I doubt the US or UK government could say to a kidnapper today 'alright we're going to drop artillery on your neighbourhood until you let our guy go'.

ASalazarMX 8y ago

> some plan which would guarantee some people would investigate and kill everyone in any substantial way affiliated with the kidnapping -- and to loudly communicate the existence of this policy in advance. [...] US citizenship largely serves this purpose I'd like to call this the "little madman theory".

adrianratnapala 8y ago

> US citizenship largely serves this purpose Yes. In fact this sort of service has traditionally been one of the main features of any decently functioning tribe. It is less true nation states. At best aristocrats got such a deal. Which is unfair, but is probably why nation states are more peaceful than small tribes.