Straight from the Shoulder
How might someone who worked at the CIA or NSA view what’s happening around the world? What can we learn about politics and risk from the intelligence vantage point- past and present? Straight from the Shoulder is a podcast that strives to analyze geopolitical events through the apolitical lens of intelligence officers. The podcast features commentary by Jack Devine, former Acting Deputy Director of Operations at the CIA and President The Arkin Group in conversation with Julia Stone, former government Intelligence Analyst and Senior Director at The Arkin Group. Listeners can expect a candid, non-partisan, and lively discussion that seeks to unravel the complex issues that threaten security and global stability.
Straight from the Shoulder
Held Hostage
Given that hostage taking is again in the spotlight after the October 7 Hamas attacks, what is the latest status of Washington’s hostage policy? What can we learn from a review of the past several decades of hostage crises worldwide? And is it possible for Americans to avoid hostage situations in the coming years, even while tensions between democratic and non-democratic countries appear to be on the rise?
Join Jack and Julia for a thoughtful discussion about the recent history of hostage taking, where we grapple with the question of how to best respond to the threat, and what the future might hold. On this episode, we’ll consider:
- The evolution of hostage threats to US citizens- from Latin America to the Middle East
- How and why the United States has historically decided to respond to hostage takers, and the use of both policy and force in deterrence
- Why democratic societies are more susceptible to hostage crises in the first place, and what this means for our collective future