James Foley's family expressed sentiments that the United States' need to rethink its policies towards terrorist kidnappings, reports said. The family cited inconsistencies in the negotiation process on James' case.

The Foley family, after mourning in private, asked today why the U.S. government did not do more to save his life.

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James' brother Michael Foley believed that more could have been done for "Jim." Mr. John Foley also expressed regrets about the negotiation process, which was "very uneven" according to him.

The family's sentiments sparked arguments about the said policy.

For example, U.S. adheres to a "no ransom and no negotiation" basis unlike some European countries.

But it bent this rule when it negotiated a high-profile case involving Bowe Bergdahl. The government agreed to release five Taliban prisoners arrested during the Afghan war in exchange for Bergdahl, reports said.

As revealed by the email sent by the militants to Foley's parents on August 12, ISIS offered a deal to swap prisoners - Westerners for imprisoned militant members.

A copy of the correspondence was sent to U.S. authorities and published by Foley's former employer GlobalPost online.

It also revealed that U.S. authorities did not respond to the offered prisoner exchange deal, causing unwanted comparisons with the Bergdahl case.

Another comparison being made is the payment of ransom.

According to reports, French and Spanish governments previously recovered their citizens from ISIS after paying ransoms.

Foley's captors demanded $132.5 million from his family and the U.S., Associated Press said. Obviously, no such payment was made.

The administration explained its side.

For one, the Bergdahl deal was coordinated through Qatar, with Qatari representatives handling the negotiations, an official said.

"We didn't negotiate with terrorists," U.S. Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel said on TV.

This means that U.S. maintains its policy on handling terrorist kidnappings.

As the spotlight is now focused on another American journalist, Steven Sotloff, after the militants announced he would be next, the Foley family hopes that negotiations this time could save his life.

Tagsjames foley, Islamic militants, ISIS, Michael Foley, Bowe Bergdahl, Chuck Hagel, terrorist kidnappings policy, Foley family