Future Security Initiative director breaks down how the US hostage exchange happened
Future Security Initiative co-directors Daniel Rothenberg (left) and Peter Bergen speak at an event.
Daniel Rothenberg is a co-director of Arizona State University’s Future Security Initiative, a research arm of the School of Politics and Global Studies devoted to leading conversations on U.S. foreign policy and global security.
The center partners with New America, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, to host forums with diplomats, policymakers and other public officials, and advance research on complex foreign policy issues — like the ones that led to the historic U.S. hostage exchange on Aug. 1.
The exchange brought home three Americans — former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva — on Thursday via an intricate prisoner swap that included seven countries.
Rothenberg said the move was a result of “improved U.S. government policy that represents a bipartisan success story.”
Question: What are your thoughts on the recent hostage exchange?
A: It is always good news when Americans who are held illegally abroad, whether by states like the Russian Federation or non-state actors such as terrorist groups, come home safely.
One issue that many Americans may not realize is that last week’s successful hostage exchange is partly the result of improved U.S. government policy that represents a bipartisan success story, something worth celebrating in these divisive times.
The wrongful detention of Americans is nothing new. For many years, the families of those detained complained about poor communication and coordination from the U.S. government regarding efforts to assist their loved ones. In response, President Barack Obama created the role of the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs through an executive order in 2015. Then, in 2020, Congress passed the Levinson Act (named after the longest illegally held American citizen), supported by both Democrats and Republicans, which codified an improved system of managing and tracking these cases. The current special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Ambassador Roger Carstens, was appointed by President Donald Trump and kept on by President Joe Biden.
Ambassador Carstens played an essential role in last week’s exchange. He has spoken at many (Future Security Initiative) events, including one in 2023 attended by Paul Whelan’s family, and will present at this year’s ASU/New America 10th Future Security Forum on a panel with Caitlan Coleman, a former Taliban hostage.
In addition, Joshua Geltzer, one of our former ASU Future Security Fellows, also played a key role in last week’s hostage exchange (he is currently deputy assistant to the president, deputy White House counsel and legal adviser to the National Safety Council).
While what occurred last week was a political and diplomatic victory for the Biden administration, the underlying system that enabled the hostage exchange was the result of bipartisan efforts to serve a common U.S. strategic and humanitarian goal: helping Americans illegally detained abroad to come home.
Q: What needs to be done to secure prisoner swap deals such as these?
A: These are incredibly sensitive and complex negotiations. According to those intimately involved in efforts to free illegally detained Americas, such as Ambassador Carstens, each case is different.
Last week’s hostage exchange involved multiple countries and required a delicate balance of U.S. and other states’ interests. And it had to be constructed so all sides could view the exchange as a win for their domestic audiences.
Much of what occurs in U.S. hostage negotiations is secret and relies on the coordinated efforts of many individuals working in different government entities. As such, what enables a successful exchange is the sustained effort of multiple government employees, working in both Democratic and Republican administrations, who struggle tirelessly under the radar and out of the public eye. Their efforts are not motivated by partisan issues so much as the pressing mission of getting Americans home.
Q: How has the Future Security Initiative's work engaged U.S. hostage policy and exchanges like these?
A: FSI is a partnership between ASU and New America, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. We share faculty, fellows and jointly engage in research, educational programming and outreach, including engaging U.S. hostage policy and working directly with Americans held hostage and their families.
FSI Co-Director Peter Bergen is on the advisory council of the Foley Foundation, which supports the families of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained, and has worked extensively on these issues.
This spring, we held an event with Diane Foley on her book “American Mother,” and we have released widely read reports on U.S. hostage policy, including our 2021 report “Bringing Americans Home.”
David Rohde, a former Future Security Fellow, was held by the Taliban and has spoken about his experiences at ASU and worked with ASU students. Sarah (Levinson) Moriarty, the daughter of Bob Levinson (for whom the Levinson Act was named) is currently a fellow at New America.
Q: What are FSI's other priorities in regards to U.S. policy and global security?
A: Our priority now is seeking to reorient U.S. policy towards a holistic engagement with interconnected threats from climate change to rising authoritarianism to emerging technologies.
Our faculty and fellows have put out dozens of books, countless articles, podcasts and films, with our white papers on proxy warfare read by over 100,000, and team members nominated and awarded Pulitzers, Emmys and other awards.
Q: How can students who are interested in topics like these get more involved?
A: We often link ASU students to research projects and, right now, have a student working on hostage research issues. In 2023, we hosted 50 events, many of them online, and all students are invited to participate.
To find out more, ASU students can visit the Future Security Initiative website or contact us at future.security@asu.edu.
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