Critical Juncture 5: Hostage Taking (Initial Response)
*** Proof of Life Photo ***
A “proof of life” still image was just posted on ‘X’ that appears to show two of the hostages. Based on corporate records, the images appear to be those of Matthew Johnson and Nina Santiago, both US nationals (petroleum engineers), working for Amazonia in Brazil. No other information was provided to confirm exactly when the image was taken nor the health of the Americans or other three Brazilian employees.
Task
Select the best option from the list below to respond to the new hostage taking crisis.
Options
Discuss and fully consider the options below with your team members.
Engage diplomatic channels to facilitate negotiations, leveraging international relationships and resources.
Involve local community leaders to mediate discussions between the captors and Amazonia.
Assemble a crisis negotiation team with expertise in psychology and conflict resolution.
Use Lucas, the Brazilian Co-Chair, to facilitate the negotiation.
Demand a clear “proof of life” from all of the hostages as a key precondition to negotiation.
Use crisis communications to apply pressure on captors and manage public perception.
Decision
After carefully assessing all of the options above, as a team choose the best option (select one below) to respond to the new hostage taking crisis. Your team must wait until there are 2 mins or less remaining before selecting its decision.
