What to do about an uptick in Americans unjustly held abroad
Are carrots or sticks the right way to bring them home?
“My husband Ryan has been wrongfully detained by the Taliban in deplorable and inhumane conditions for 461 days,” Anna Corbett told a congressional committee in November. “His crime: being a US citizen in Afghanistan.” For years Mr Corbett had run a microfinance and consulting firm to help Afghan businesses, but his family fled the country amid the withdrawal of Western forces in 2021. He hoped his work could continue under Taliban rule, but authorities detained him during a visit in August 2022.
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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “The prisoner dilemma”
United States December 2nd 2023
- A MAGA court in New Orleans is shaping the Supreme Court’s agenda
- A key part of Obamacare is in jeopardy
- Is it cheaper to rent or buy property?
- What to do about an uptick in Americans unjustly held abroad
- A national milk-carton shortage sours America’s dairy industry
- The Supreme Court may toss out Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy settlement
- Henry Kissinger never quite belonged where he wanted to be
From the December 2nd 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
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Donald Trump may find it harder to dominate America’s conversation
A more fragmented media is tougher to manage
An FBI sting operation catches Jackson’s mayor taking big bribes
What the sensational undoing of the black leader means for Mississippi’s failing capital
America’s rural-urban divide nurtures wannabe state-splitters
What’s behind a new wave of secessionism
Does Donald Trump have unlimited authority to impose tariffs?
Yes, but other factors could hold him back
As Jack Smith exits, Donald Trump’s allies hint at retribution
The president-elect hopes to hand the Justice Department to loyalists
Democratic states are preparing for Donald Trump’s return
But Mr Trump will be more prepared, too