Citizens for Leverage: Navigating State Hostage-Taking in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape

A number of states today are unlawfully detaining foreign nationals within their criminal justice systems for use as foreign policy leverage. Often referred to as “hostage diplomacy,” or state hostage-taking, this form of coercive diplomacy is not new in international politics, but its growing prevalence has raised alarm bells among many states, especially Western nations and their allies. This cruel practice places individual citizens at the center of a complicated calculus where their own governments must balance the individual’s freedom against political, security, economic, and other national considerations. The issue is fraught with challenges and complexities, further compounded by the often opaque political and judicial systems of abductor states.

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