4 ms·

Inside the world of hostage negotiation (2019)

64 points by thm 4y ago

adwww 4y ago
I want to know... do the people working in this space talk much about it? Like are there industry conferences, working groups, slack channels for hostage negotiators?
- betamaxthetape 4y ago
  From the article: > Hostage negotiation has become something of an industry, with conferences, conventions and shared strategies.
- BiteCode_dev 4y ago
  As a starting point, there is the excellent "never split the difference" book: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/0062407805 https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-De...
  - notakio 4y ago
    Voss teaches classes, as well; they are useful well outside the bounds of hostage negotiation, in almost any context where soft interpersonal communication is a determining factor. My introduction to Mr. Voss was through an immersive training event, where the participants got a small taste of his world/skillset. Watching him work was illuminating, to say the least. Mostly, the value I've retained from that experience has been applicable in business contexts, and, ironically, during the home-buying process. It changed how I looked at interpersonal conflicts, and has been very handy in figuring out a path which essentially leaves all parties feeling like they got what they needed to get out of the deal.
    - notakio 4y ago
      I should have included a link to his company, the Black Swan Group: https://www.blackswanltd.com/ https://www.blackswanltd.com/
  - gregmac 4y ago
    I just listened to an interesting podcast interview with the author of this book [1]. He discusses what the GP said above: there's a team of say, 7 people listening, and each person has a specific job, depending on the situation: listening for positive things they say, negative things, tone, timing, background noise. Pretty interesting interview. [1] https://www.jordanharbinger.com/chris-voss-negotiate-as-if-your-life-depended-on-it/ https://www.jordanharbinger.com/chris-voss-negotiate-as-if-y...
- telecuda 4y ago
  100% Not only state and regional conferences, but nationwide competitions among agencies. Speaking to technology used by HNT/CNT teams, in the past, they would break a window and toss in a “throw phone” (Pelican case containing a phone with a cord running out to the negotiator) in order to talk with a barricaded subject. Today, negotiators use the platform we created to negotiate over mobile, allowing secondary teams to monitor the calls and texts (e.g. so an analyst can research something said), along with other special capabilities. If the topic interests you, we’re hiring a senior dev on our mobile hostage negotiation product now!
darkerside 4y ago
The case they make for near universal K&R insurance is extremely compelling. It does however remind me of the old PG piece on submarine news articles. How could this not be sponsored by the K&R industry?
- pmoriarty 4y ago
  "The case they make for near universal K&R insurance is extremely compelling" Wouldn't that encourage more kidnappings, since everyone (and not just the wealthy) would become lucrative targets?
  - generalizations 4y ago
    And that would increase the value of the insurance
  - darkerside 4y ago
    No, because if you read the article, they still need to raise the money themselves before the payout. The total payout is related to their net worth.
  - MichaelZuo 4y ago
    ‘ There were caveats to prevent fraud and to ensure that the existence of the policy did not actually increase the risk of kidnapping. The first was that the policy had to be kept secret. In fact, it could be voided if its existence became public. The concern was that if the kidnappers knew of the policy, they would demand more money. The second principle is that the policy will only reimburse the ransom once it is paid. The insurance company never fronts any money. In order to raise the cash, the victim’s family will probably have to liquidate assets – mortgage the house, sell stocks, pool money from other relatives. This process makes the negotiations credible by dragging them out. This is not just about minimising the payout by the insurance company. Quickly making good on a large ransom raises the expectations of future kidnappers. It can make hostage-taking more lucrative and more common.’ A few paragrphs into the article. Whether or not that can entirely eliminate the moral hazard is yet unresolved.
BayAreaEscapee 4y ago
For anyone interested in this topic, I recommend the book "Kidnap: Inside the Ransom Business" by Anja Shortland Absolutely fascinating how this industry works! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L5PKK5M/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L5PKK5M/ref=kinw_myk_ro...
RcouF1uZ4gsC 4y ago
Then there is the Soviet style: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-07-mn-13892-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-07-mn-13892-... > The Jerusalem Post said the Soviet secret police last year secured the release of three kidnaped Soviet diplomats in Beirut by castrating a relative of a radical Lebanese Shia Muslim leader, sending him the severed organs and then shooting the relative in the head. > Parts of the man’s body, the paper said, were then sent to the Hezbollah leader with a warning that he would lose other relatives in a similar fashion if the three remaining Soviet diplomats were not immediately released. They were quickly freed. > The newspaper quoted “observers in Jerusalem” as saying: “This is the way the Soviets operate. They do things--they don’t talk. And this is the language Hezbollah understands.”
jojohohanon 4y ago
Idk. Can we not link to paywalls?

64 points by thm 4y ago

I want to know... do the people working in this space talk much about it? Like are there industry conferences, working groups, slack channels for hostage negotiators?

betamaxthetape 4y ago
From the article: > Hostage negotiation has become something of an industry, with conferences, conventions and shared strategies.
BiteCode_dev 4y ago
As a starting point, there is the excellent "never split the difference" book: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/0062407805 https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-De...
- notakio 4y ago
  Voss teaches classes, as well; they are useful well outside the bounds of hostage negotiation, in almost any context where soft interpersonal communication is a determining factor. My introduction to Mr. Voss was through an immersive training event, where the participants got a small taste of his world/skillset. Watching him work was illuminating, to say the least. Mostly, the value I've retained from that experience has been applicable in business contexts, and, ironically, during the home-buying process. It changed how I looked at interpersonal conflicts, and has been very handy in figuring out a path which essentially leaves all parties feeling like they got what they needed to get out of the deal.
  - notakio 4y ago
    I should have included a link to his company, the Black Swan Group: https://www.blackswanltd.com/ https://www.blackswanltd.com/
- gregmac 4y ago
  I just listened to an interesting podcast interview with the author of this book [1]. He discusses what the GP said above: there's a team of say, 7 people listening, and each person has a specific job, depending on the situation: listening for positive things they say, negative things, tone, timing, background noise. Pretty interesting interview. [1] https://www.jordanharbinger.com/chris-voss-negotiate-as-if-your-life-depended-on-it/ https://www.jordanharbinger.com/chris-voss-negotiate-as-if-y...
telecuda 4y ago
100% Not only state and regional conferences, but nationwide competitions among agencies. Speaking to technology used by HNT/CNT teams, in the past, they would break a window and toss in a “throw phone” (Pelican case containing a phone with a cord running out to the negotiator) in order to talk with a barricaded subject. Today, negotiators use the platform we created to negotiate over mobile, allowing secondary teams to monitor the calls and texts (e.g. so an analyst can research something said), along with other special capabilities. If the topic interests you, we’re hiring a senior dev on our mobile hostage negotiation product now!

darkerside 4y ago

The case they make for near universal K&R insurance is extremely compelling. It does however remind me of the old PG piece on submarine news articles. How could this not be sponsored by the K&R industry?

pmoriarty 4y ago
"The case they make for near universal K&R insurance is extremely compelling" Wouldn't that encourage more kidnappings, since everyone (and not just the wealthy) would become lucrative targets?
- generalizations 4y ago
  And that would increase the value of the insurance
- darkerside 4y ago
  No, because if you read the article, they still need to raise the money themselves before the payout. The total payout is related to their net worth.
- MichaelZuo 4y ago
  ‘ There were caveats to prevent fraud and to ensure that the existence of the policy did not actually increase the risk of kidnapping. The first was that the policy had to be kept secret. In fact, it could be voided if its existence became public. The concern was that if the kidnappers knew of the policy, they would demand more money. The second principle is that the policy will only reimburse the ransom once it is paid. The insurance company never fronts any money. In order to raise the cash, the victim’s family will probably have to liquidate assets – mortgage the house, sell stocks, pool money from other relatives. This process makes the negotiations credible by dragging them out. This is not just about minimising the payout by the insurance company. Quickly making good on a large ransom raises the expectations of future kidnappers. It can make hostage-taking more lucrative and more common.’ A few paragrphs into the article. Whether or not that can entirely eliminate the moral hazard is yet unresolved.

BayAreaEscapee 4y ago

For anyone interested in this topic, I recommend the book "Kidnap: Inside the Ransom Business" by Anja Shortland Absolutely fascinating how this industry works! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L5PKK5M/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L5PKK5M/ref=kinw_myk_ro...

RcouF1uZ4gsC 4y ago

Then there is the Soviet style: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-07-mn-13892-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-07-mn-13892-... > The Jerusalem Post said the Soviet secret police last year secured the release of three kidnaped Soviet diplomats in Beirut by castrating a relative of a radical Lebanese Shia Muslim leader, sending him the severed organs and then shooting the relative in the head. > Parts of the man’s body, the paper said, were then sent to the Hezbollah leader with a warning that he would lose other relatives in a similar fashion if the three remaining Soviet diplomats were not immediately released. They were quickly freed. > The newspaper quoted “observers in Jerusalem” as saying: “This is the way the Soviets operate. They do things--they don’t talk. And this is the language Hezbollah understands.”

jojohohanon 4y ago

Idk. Can we not link to paywalls?