We negotiate only when we believe that we can achieve better results negotiating than not negotiating. Negotiations are a means, not an end. They can be a good or a bad idea. I recalled that as I heard Israel criticized for not negotiating with Hamas or Hezbollah. What good can come from that?
Negotiations are frequently used as offensive weapons or subterfuge. The losing side calls for negotiations as a way to avoid defeat. Terrorists and revolutionaries use negotiations as a way to divide their enemies and create doubt among them. (Dictators and killers can be very charming, as Che and Fidel showed us, and let's not forget uncle Joe or that sweetie Mao) This is what Hamas or Hezbollah are doing now and they dupe plenty of people, the same sort that would have praised Stalin or hailed "peace in our time". Hamas and Hezbollah have stated that their goal is to destroy Israel. What concession can Israel make? Is there a point to negotiation or will better results be achieved w/o them until conditions change? If Israel’s existence is not something that Israel will negotiate away and if the stated goal of Hamas or Hezbollah is to destroy Israel, on what basis can they talk?
(There is also the problem of unequal or inappropriate negotiations. The obvious case of this is N. Korea’s demand for bilateral negotiations with the U.S. This is the principle of the hot potato. Someone throws a hot potato in your lap and if you work with it, it becomes your problem. A good negotiator does not accept other people’s hot potatoes.)
You cannot always achieve optimal results. Sometimes you just have a bad situation. Sometimes negotiations can improve that situation, sometimes not, and sometimes negotiations can make things worse. Negotiations with Saddam produced negative results. British and French negotiations with Hitler made the situation very much worse. Jews learned this lesson the hard way. Negotiation with people whose goal is to kill you and everyone related to you is not a good idea. Hitler stated his goal clearly in "Mein Kampf". Appologists said he didn't really mean it. Hamas and Hezbollah state their goal just as clearly. When will we learn to take such threats seriously?
I am disturbed by the threat of war in the Middle East. But let's be clear about who is responsible. It is Hamas and Hezbollah along with the Syrians and Iranians. We are faced with an ideology that uses terrorism as a preferred tactic. We are in the same boat as the Israelis. They just are closer to the storm.
2006-07-31
10:01:03
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