Book review "La rançon de la terreur. Gouverner le marché des otages"

Résumé En

Many scholars in International Relations are no longer as focused on terrorism as they once were. With the rise of other global issues and the return of great power competition, this trend is understandable in many ways; but to entirely pivot away from studying terrorism would be misguided. The time has come to draw lessons from the struggle against terrorism, with recommendations for the future, and Etienne Dignat’s La rançon de la terreur does both. This book deals with the ethical dilemma that western governments are faced with when one or more of their citizens are taken hostage by a terrorist group demanding a ransom. To pay, or not to pay, that is the question. On the one hand, Israel, France, and most of continental Europe have accepted to pay ransoms to free their citizens held captive pursuant to a ‘solidarity-based’ approach. On the other hand, the U.S. and the U.K. have refused ransom payments – even from hostages’ employers or families – with a ‘sacrifice-based’ approach.