The Frame The headlines will focus on the optics: a weary, ailing former Marine returning to Andrews Air Force Base, a victory for President Trump’s transactional brand of diplomacy, and a momentary reprieve for a family. To the casual observer, the release of Robert Gilman is a footnote in the ongoing friction between Washington and Moscow. But to those who study the mechanics of power, the release of a single individual is rarely about the individual. It is a high-frequency signal of a profound structural shift in how great powers negotiate the limits of sovereignty. We are witnessing the normalization of the ‘Human Asset Exchange’—a regime where individuals are no longer protected by the sanctity of international law, but are instead traded as high-value commodities in a new era of neo-mercantilism. The Signal What most analysts are missing is the precise timing and the specific nature of this transaction. In a world of...