The Gist with Mike Pesca on the U.S. decision to negotiate the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

The U.S. Often Negotiates With Terrorists, but Was the Bergdahl Release a Good Deal?

The U.S. Often Negotiates With Terrorists, but Was the Bergdahl Release a Good Deal?

Slate
The Gist
A daily news and culture podcast with Mike Pesca.
June 2 2014 6:34 PM

Negotiating With Terrorists

The Gist explores unanswered questions in the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

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Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl circa 2009.
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl circa 2009.

Photo illustration by Slate. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army/Wikipedia.

Listen to Episode 20 of Slate’s The Gist:

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Today on The Gist, a look at the release over the weekend of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay. Jonah Blank of the RAND Corporation explains whether the circumstances of Bergdahl’s capture matter. Then Mitchell Reiss, author of Negotiating With Evil, suggests that the question is not whether to negotiate with terrorists, but how to get the best deal. For the Spiel, Mike brings you news from places you might not have known existed.

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Mike Pesca is the host of the Slate daily podcast The Gist. He also contributes reports and commentary to NPR.