Can’t Pay your Ransom?

The United States has had a policy of not paying ransoms for over a hundred years. A ransom is a sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for the release of a prisoner. This isn’t to say the government isn’t doing everything they can to get the person back, because they are just by other means. It isn’t until now that President Obama is trying to make an alteration to that policy. This change would entail the people’s private ability to raise funds to pay a ransom. The Government still won't be directly paying only helping facilitate (CBS News), in order to not praise the captor for their bad behavior. What would happen if someone wanted to pay the ransom of a loved one is that the U.S. government would prosecute the person for paying. And, probably put them in jail for funding a terrorist organization.

It would seem like a completely sensible change, however there is a good reason (Economist) it was the way it was. If the United States doesn’t pay up for a ransom, then what’s the purpose for capturing a U.S. citizen in the first place? Exactly there’s no money to be made. This is the logic of the U.S. Government, and it has been quite successful. In comparison to other European countries that pay ransoms, the U.S. has had dramatically less abroad citizens kidnapped or captured. So, the idea that we could pay ransoms could put other Americans at risk.

I think this relates to the classic ethnic scenario (Wikipedia); "There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. You have two options: (1) Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people on the main track. (2) Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. Which is the correct choice?"