The furor surrounding the exchange of five Taliban prisoners for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl earlier this month has exposed the murky world — and impossible choices — of the families of Americans taken captive by militants.
Demands for vast ransoms or for prisoner releases put these families in the excruciating position of seeming to be able to save a loved one's life: Meet demands and your beloved lives. Hesitate and carry responsibility for their death to your grave.
Yet few families have access to the sums of money that militants demand. Nor can they free prisoners held by the United States or a local government. Despite the fact that the families feel primary responsibility, they have no real control.