Would James Foley be alive today if he was from Europe? Many Europeans countries pay millions in ransoms. The White House doesn’t. In Foreign Policy, James Traub on the agonizing question raised by these situations: Should states pay ransom to kidnappers?

+ Slate: Why the U.S. made a deal for Bowe Bergdahl but not James Foley.

+ Earlier this summer, the U.S. secretly attempted to rescue James Foley.

+ The hunt for Foley’s killer.

+ Buzzfeed: Photographers we’ve lost in conflict zones and their work