Lawfare Daily: Elizabeth Tsurkov on Her Captivity in Iraq

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Editor in Chief Benjamin Wittes sits down with Princeton PhD candidate Elizabeth Tsurkov to talk about the 903 days that she was held in captivity by Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq. Tsurkov describes the circumstances of her detention, the realities of life in captivity, and the sociological study she undertook of her captors while imprisoned. Wittes and Tsurkov also explore changes in U.S. hostage policy under the Biden and Trump administrations, as well as how various governments responded to efforts to secure her release. For more on Elizabeth’s powerful story, see: “ Held Hostage by Iran’s Militias: Where Are They Now? ,” a talk by Elizabeth Tsurkov, moderated by…