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The digital duo Josh and Chuck deconstruct your world.
Podcast Transcript | Listen to the Podcast Now
How Hostage Negotiation Works | November 26, 2009
Chuck Bryant
Yeah, a couple of famous occurrences there with the Muslim Chechen Separatists. In 2002, they took over a theater in Russia, threatened to blow it up, and so, the Russians go in and they -
Josh Clark
Under who?
Chuck Bryant
Oh, who was it?
Josh Clark
Putin, you think?
Chuck Bryant
Oh, okay.
Josh Clark
The guy who wrestles tigers with his shirt off in front of news cameras.
Chuck Bryant
Right.
Josh Clark
Don’t you – doesn’t that bear his hallmark?
Chuck Bryant
Yeah. They decided to storm the theater and send in some knockout gas instead of negotiating. And they ended up killing all – well, I don’t know if it was all of them, but 129 hostages died.
Josh Clark
129 people from the knockout gas.
Chuck Bryant
From the knockout gas.
Josh Clark
That’s not knockout gas. That’s death gas.
Chuck Bryant
I think that’s what they mean by knockout.
Josh Clark
I don’t think so. No.
Chuck Bryant
They just don’t want to call it death gas.
Josh Clark
Maybe so. My eyes are open now because I didn’t realize that was a euphemism.
Chuck Bryant
The other one, Josh, was really, really sad. I remember this one well.
Josh Clark
Yeah. Me, too.
Chuck Bryant
In ’04 when the same Chechen Separatists invaded an elementary school with guns and bombs and locked themself up in a gym, and Russia would not negotiate. And 300 of the hostages were killed.
Josh Clark
Yeah.
Chuck Bryant
That was awful.
Josh Clark
And half of them were kids.
Chuck Bryant
Yeah.
Josh Clark
When they blew up the gymnasium.
Chuck Bryant
Yeah. It was terrible.
Josh Cl
ark
Well, listen up, Putin.
Chuck Bryant
Yeah. But you maintain your toughness.
Josh Clark
Right. Yeah.
Chuck Bryant
We’re not gonna negotiate. Just kill the kids.
Josh Clark
Yeah. Okay. So Chuck, you – you – you okay there?
Chuck Bryant
Yeah. I’m good. A little riled up, but I’m good.
Josh Clark
Let’s talk about a hostage situation that actually went relatively well, at least compared to Russia in 2002 [inaudible].
Chuck Bryant
Yeah. Go ahead and hit it. I know what you’re gonna talk about.
Josh Clark
Well, there is a very famous incident at Princess Gate in London in April 1980. Members of the Democratic Revolutionary Movement for the Liberation of Arabistan -
Chuck Bryant
What a bunch of louse.
Josh Clark
So there is a – there is an equilibrium. Chuck loves equilibrium, but there is an equilibrium between not negotiating at all and over negotiating.
Chuck Bryant
Right.
Josh Clark
And I think that’s what you’re talking about. It’s kind of like negotiating on the down low and never talking about it.
Chuck Bryant
Right.
Josh Clark
And then, hunting the people down who did this and murdering them.
Chuck Bryant
Right.
s=”transcript-comment”>Josh Clark
So Chuck, let’s talk about what happens when you just absolutely refuse to negotiate. As we’ve seen, actually, in the 21st Century, sadly enough, twice in Russia.