Jack Laurence

We feel off balance, disjointed, not quite ourselves.

Well, of course, Sean was in a situation that was mentally taxing enough.

And one of the most important ways to try and stay on top of it was to create a new routine.

Part of his routine was an escape every single morning.

Not a literal one, of course, but a mental one.

And on top of this morning routine, he also had one in the evening with his two small children back home.

What was happening back home?

Did you ever, did you get a sense, I mean, you had a radio.

Did you ever hear anything about your own situation on that radio?

We don't negotiate with terrorists.

It's long been the official stance of the United States and the United Kingdom.

The logic is simple.

Pay ransoms and you fund terrorism.

Make concessions and you create an incentive for more kidnappings.

But not every country follows that policy.

While the US and UK held firm, other Western nations, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, took a different approach.

They did negotiate, they did pay ransoms, and often their citizens would come home.

The consequences of these different policies became brutally clear with ISIS.

Between 2013 and 14, the group captured around 20 Western hostages.

European governments reportedly paid millions in ransoms.