Eric Lebson

In early 2007, a very close friend of Eric Lebson disappeared in Iran. Eric tried to help, but there was no structure for how to engage – so he just did what he thought would be helpful, writing Op-Eds and coming up with geopolitical options to press those holding him. After leaving the government in 2014 as a senior U.S. official focusing on Pakistan, a friend of a friend asked him to provide for advice to a woman whose husband had been kidnapped by al-Qaeda. Since then, he has been driven to help families of loved ones who have been taken hostage or wrongfully detained.

Eric benefits from the experience of having worked on national security policy at the Pentagon and the National Security Council. This work has afforded him insight into how national security is handled in various departments and agencies and how unified ‘interagency’ policy decisions are made and executed. Working on these issues has shown him that many families do not understand how their government is organized and operates, can be ignored or manipulated by people who have their own agendas, and do not have the tools to be their own advocates. Eric has seen how advocacy can be a determining factor for how a case is resolved and, even if such advocacy is not decisive, most families want to be helpful in bringing their loved ones home.

Starting in the mid-2010s, Eric began working on a pro bono basis with the families of Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained to do three things: (1) help them understand the situation – what entity is responsible, the politics of where the person is being held, and the U.S. policy considerations; (2) chart a proactive strategy; and (3) execute the plan – prepare them to speak with media and government officials, develop research and arguments to help advance the family’s goal, and work with third parties to make progress.

Eric has worked closely with U.S. government officials including at the State Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Council, Intelligence Community, and Congress when it has benefited the family. When the family needed to push the U.S. government or a foreign government – he has helped them do that as well. As a fiduciary of the family – not the U.S. government: his only goal is to get the family’s loved one home. Eric serves on the advisory boards of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation and Hostage U.S., both Global Reach partners, and worked closely on cases with the Richardson Center for Global Engagement. Eric is a member of the Commission on Hostage Taking and Wrongful Detentions, an initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.