(CNN) -- ISIS demanded 100 million euros ($132.5 million) in ransom for the release of James Foley, the American journalist kidnapped and killed by the terrorist group in Syria, according to a spokesman for GlobalPost, the news website for which Foley freelanced. It was never a serious demand, far exceeding the amounts of money paid for hostages held by jihadist militant groups in the past, which typically ranged up to several million dollars. But the demand does shine a light on two uncomfortable facts about "Kidnap & Ransom," or K&R, the dark netherworld of professionals who work to negotiate between murderous groups like ISIS and the terrified families whose loved ones have been kidnapped. It also includes their worried employers and Western governments such as France that will pay ransoms, and other governments, notably the United States and the United Kingdom, that will not.
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Peter Bergen, Emily Schneider: ISIS wanted $132.5 million in ransom for James Foley
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Sometimes ransom works, but it can lead to more kidnapping, the writers say
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Minus a rescue or escape, options grim for nations -- ransom or execution, they say
The names of the other two @placeholder being held by ISIS have not been publicly disclosed; CNN is withholding their names and occupations.