When our world leaders are threatened by terrorist strikes, time stops and the attention of the world focuses like a laser on the crisis. Sometimes, these attacks are political, as when Peruvian guerillas stormed the Japanese embassy in Lima; sometimes they are personal, as when John Hinckley attacked President Reagan; and sometimes innocent family members can become targets and used as bargaining chips in high-stakes negotiations. The tenuous situations call for a special kind of hero: the professional hostage negotiator.

The ideal negotiator is intelligent, resourceful, and experienced. Hostage negotiations require an individual who possesses the patience and mental stamina to handle an ordeal that can go on for days, maybe even weeks. When Colombian terrorists stormed the Dominican Embassy in Bogota, the ordeal lasted sixty days. The Iranian hostage crisis of 1979, where Americans were held captive in their embassy by Iranian terrorists, lasted nearly 17 months. The siege at Waco, where the government tried to negotiate a settlement with the Branch Davidian religious sect, lasted six weeks.

The Basics of Hostage Negotiation

Experienced hostage negotiators will tell you that it is essential to stabilize the situation as early as impossible. At the beginning of a siege, the atmosphere is highly charged and emotional. But even successful negotiations don't ensure a safe return. During the infamous raid on the Olympic Village during the 1972 summer games, German negotiators talked members of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September out of the Olympic Village, but 11 Israeli athletes, five terrorists and several policemen died in a gun battle at a local airport.

The ultimate goal of hostage negotiators is to keep hostages alive and secure a safe release, while conceding to as few of the terrorist demands as possible. Sometimes this can be achieved by engaging assailants in lengthy conversations. Negotiators know that long delays can weaken the resolve of terrorists and reduce the overall sense of panic.

Of course, many negotiators favor hard-line approaches. Peru President Alberto Fujimori refused terrorist demands to free political prisoners when Marxist guerillas took over the Japanese embassy in Lima in 1997 during a party with hundreds of government officials. He vowed to stand firm in the face of "terrorist blackmail" and promised that a military response would be harsh and swift if any of the 74 hostages - most of them employees of the embassy - were injured. Ultimately, 150 soldiers stormed the building, killing 15 terrorists and one hostage.

Fujimori took the lead in hostage negotiations, but was supported by a number of professionals, including several Americans. There's no doubt they helped defuse the crisis. Without their experience and expertise, so many hostages may not have been saved.

When American terrorists kidnap the First Daughter, the President is faced with one of his greatest dilemmas: negotiate the release of his daughter in exchange for the leader of an American militia group.