The release of three Americans unjustly detained in Russia this past week didn't just happen in a vacuum.
A vast team of US Diplomats along with scores of others from US allies including Germany, Slovenia, and the Netherlands, combined forces to complete over the course of many years, the most complicated prisoner swap since the Cold War.
While there were many facets to the multi-pronged effort; at the heart of it, was negotiation.
Somehow, both sides managed to get what they wanted, and now Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelanm and Russian American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva are home, safe, and facing a much brighter future than they could have ever imagined from inside a Russian prison cell.
But they were lucky. Not everyone who is detained by a foreign government, or kidnapped by terrorists or criminals while traveling abroad gets such a happy ending.
A recent report from the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation found there were 46 US Nationals being held captive by foreign governments as of May 2024, and if you broaden your search to include citizens of other countries, and include those who have been kidnapped and held for ransom; that number rises into the thousands.
In fact, kidnap for ransom is a growing concern worldwide; a trend highlighted in a recent report from the British-American consulting firm, Willis Towers Watson (WTW).
It shows the cost that companies pay for policies to cover their employees in the event of kidnapping and ransom, has gone up recently 5 to 20 percent, and that they don't provide coverage at all in places like Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
Even so, kidnap victims can be successfully recovered and reunited with their families.
To find out how it's done, and how we can apply those skills in our daily lives and business dealings; listen now to our conversation with former Scotland Yard Hostage Negotiator, Scott Walker, as we discuss his new book; Order Out of Chaos: A Kidnap Negotiator's Guide to Influence and Persuasion.
To listen: Click the player button, on the LOGO below.
Scott Walker, Author
About the author
Scott Walker served as a Scotland Yard detective for 16 years investigating all aspects of serious and organized crime, including kidnappings and terrorism. He also deployed overseas as part of a military intelligence interrogation team to interdict and question High-Value Targets. When he left the police in 2015, Walker joined a crisis and risk management consultancy that specialized in kidnap for ransom negotiations and resolving other similar perils all over the world.
Walker continues to advise, train and coach leaders at all levels of an organization who are keen to enhance their resilience, emotional intelligence and communication skills. He helps companies build a resilient mindset culture and develop engaged, fulfilled, purpose-driven and productive teams and is in demand as a keynote speaker.
Order Out of Chaos is his first book.