Hostage Crisis: Negotiating with Terrorists
2005 International Workshop
On
March 19, 2005 students in International Economics and Cultural
Affairs participated in an educational simulation called
Hostage Crisis, where they entered the fictitious world
of an all-too-familiar scenario: the hijacking of an American
airplane by a Middle Eastern terrorist group demanding the
release of political prisoners by a neighboring country
in exchange for the safe return of the US hostages.
Some students, playing the role of terrorists in the Committee
for National Struggle, found themselves in the unusual position
of having to adopt an anti-American position, while others
got a taste of what it might mean to be a hostage, being
led blind-folded into a secured area and kept uninformed
as to what their government was doing to secure their release.
Other students, sequestered off in the White House, weighed
the value of human life against the image of the nation
and debated the respective advantages and disadvantages
of violence vs. negotiations. The press, meanwhile, took
statements from all the groups involved and produced a broadcast
to satisfy a world eager to hear how the crisis would turn
out. Fortunately, with only minutes to spare, negotiators
triumphed and all the hostages were freed.
The simulation was designed by a Foreign Service Officer,
Moorhead Kennedy, who was himself a hostage for 444 days
in Iran from 1979-1981. Assisting with the simulation on
campus this year was Maria Brewer, a VU alumna (IECA, Spanish,
1995), who currently works for the US State Department.
Each year, IECA students take part in an educational simulation
that allows them to see the complexity of some important
international issue.
The
American hostages are led by the guards of the Committee for
National Struggle |
Captivity!
What will become of us?
Can we buy our freedom if we pool our resources? |
We
are not terrorists, but human beings who love our nation. |
Will
we be able to interview the hostages? |
The
terrorist incident working group |
This
is Stephanie Davis reporting for the World News Network, live
in Keibar |
We
do hope that this situation will resolve itself peacefully |
Madam
President and Hamida, negotiating down to the wire |
Will
our families see this broadcast? |
Freedom!
Let's celebrate with deep dish pizza! |
|