State hostage-taking as coercive diplomacy
Abstract
The detention of civilians by nation states in order to force concessions from their country of citizenship, commonly known as hostage diplomacy, presents a thorny and possibly intractable challenge to democratic governments which remain committed to preserving the international rules-based order. A form of triangular or indirect coercion, hostage diplomacy cases have increased in recent years in line with a weakening of both the ability and credibility of democratic states to advance coercive threats and assurances alike when faced with recalcitrant adversaries. This special issue integrates the perspectives of expert practitioners from the legal, policymaking, NGO and civil society sectors with more traditional academic scholarship on the issue of how to better understand, analyse and respond to state hostage-taking.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Global Peace and Security Dynamics
International Relations and Foreign Policy
Peacebuilding and International Security
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Policing Intelligence and Counter Terrorism
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 163–171
- Publication date
- 3 April 2026
- Language
- EN