The Benefits of Talking....

There's been a lot of news in the press lately regarding criticism Senator Obama has faced regarding his suggestion that the United States begin dialogue with certain rogue states like Iran. Most of his critics point out the US government has an official policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists or their sponsors. They say it creates a certain degree of legitimacy to a government which engages in terrorism and oppresses its people. While I agree with this to a small extent, I'm beginning to ask myself the very same questions Senator Obama faced when preparing this a talking point in his campaign.

• Has this ever been pursued by other presidents when faced with like-minded regimes?
• Are we not doing the same with a nuclear North Korea?
• What's the harm in trying?

This has been tried by numerous other heads of states. People within President Reagan's administration conjured up a plan to begin talks with moderate Iranian officials who wanted to depose the Ayatollah. The idea was to ship weapons to the Iranians who promised to do whatever they could to free the American hostages in Tehran at the time. The proceeds of those sales would then be funneled to Israel and the rest is history.

Bush administration officials are negotiating right now with North Korea. One could argue North Korea has a worse track record in regards to the inhumane treatment of its citizens and an equal standing when it comes to preferred sponsor status with certain terrorist organizations. We could even look at other regimes who also advocate terrorism and go to more overt means to legitimize it such as Lebanon or Palestine. The PLO and Hamas have political parties and hold government posts throughout their respective territories. Their stance in regards to terrorist activity is notorious and dare I say just as lethal as Tehran. Yet, we honored Yasar Arafat with official White House visits and a seat at major negotiations with Israel.


I'm no friend of Tehran and I am completely against the tactics the current regime supports. But I'm beginning to wonder how much longer can we afford to wait for this current homicidal ideology which exist there to die. Nothing we've done to Tehran seems to be working. Sanctions only increase the rhetoric and support inside the regime. Military strikes would only inflame the Muslim world and bring us to a major regional conflict in a place where all of our friends are dying off like that monkey from Outbreak. Maybe, it is time for something different. I'm not proposing opening up embassies in Tehran but let's at least sit down and lay the groundwork for a "peaceful" future. "Peaceful" should not imply "harmonious". Even I'm not that optimistic.

Does anyone remember who we fought in the Korean War other than the North Koreans? We fought Chinese soldiers. Some 50 years later, China is becoming the world's largest economy. This didn't come about through military strikes or sanctions, but through a quiet dialogue through diplomatic back-channels and trade negotiations. Slowly, our two governments could build to a dialogue like this and "peace" could be acheived. What I'm proposing takes courage and a will to see "peace" acheived. This is something all warriors should want.