Painful Lessons: Hostage-Taking and US Foreign Policy‪.‬

TERRY ANDERSON is Associate Professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He was held hostage in Lebanon by the Hezbullah between 1985 and 1991. A decade ago, the fate of a dozen or so American hostages in Lebanon riveted the country, preoccupied the State Department, and even threatened the White House. During my seven years as one of those prisoners, my sister, Peggy Say, campaigned tirelessly for my freedom, commanded audiences at the White House and the Vatican, and garnered near-daily television coverage. By contrast, today, with nearly as many Americans