Psychological Aspects of Negotiation With Terrorists

Introduction

Hostage negotiation is one type of extreme negotiation. These negotiations are resorted to in the event of hostage taking in order to reduce the threat and save people's lives. It is used as one of the ways to resolve a conflict situation with the taking of hostages along with the forceful solution of the problem (the use of armed forces), the use of chemicals, and the satisfaction of the requirements of criminals.

The following components can be distinguished in the structure of negotiations with capture:

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  a special criminal situation that requires such negotiations (without them it is impossible to achieve goals);

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  dialogue between the parties - the subjects of negotiations - to achieve a result;

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  solving various problems regarding the crime and related issues by reaching an agreement;

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  execution of obligations

Goals that are set for the negotiator:

• 1.

  Saving the life and health of the hostages;

• 2.

  Deceleration of the offender to stop illegal actions;

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  Obtaining additional information about the identity of criminals and hostages;

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  Ensuring that the demands of criminals are reduced and counter conditions are put forward to them for the release of hostages;

• 5.

  Providing other structures with temporary resources.

The challenge of crisis negotiation is to use verbal strategies to gain time and intervene in such a way that the perpetrator's emotionality can be reduced and rational thinking increased.

The subjects of negotiations can be: parties to the conflict, part of the public, self-government bodies, representatives of different groups (for example, the media, relatives and friends of criminals) (Siedel, 2014).

One of the main points in organizing negotiations with terrorists is the selection and training of negotiators. Selection should be based on a voluntary basis, taking into account the personal characteristics of candidates, the ability to act in stressful situations, quick response, self-control, emotional stability, the presence of the necessary intellectual abilities, etc. Potential negotiators must have the necessary knowledge in the field of psychology and pedagogy, as well as receive special training in the field of extreme negotiations.

Features Of Negotiating In Situations Of Hostage-Taking

Many experts identify the following features of negotiations in a situation of hostage-taking:

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  Forced nature of negotiations. The parties enter into negotiations with terrorists out of necessity, and not to find a compromise solution, as is often the case in other types of negotiations;

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  Surprise of actions of criminals;

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  Use of manipulative techniques by the opposite party. Criminals make demands on the terms of the negotiations, for example, they personify the negotiator;

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  Involvement of third parties to solve the problem (additional mediators, representatives of self-government bodies, etc.);

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  Diametrically opposed interests;

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  The need for a constant mix of “positional negotiations” and “substantive” negotiations. An analysis of cases of successful negotiations with criminals shows that negotiators in the course of extreme negotiations, depending on the specific situation, must combine the opportunities that both of these varieties provide. This makes the tactics of law enforcement agencies more flexible (International Center for Counter terrorism, 2022).