Let's Talk.

"It is time for the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies,"
-Barack Obama

I am a strong believer in diplomacy. I literally cheered when Obama brought up this point in one of the presidential debates, and he has never let go of his conviction that dialogue and cooperation is a crucial part of maintaining security abroad. It is NOT a weakness, but indeed, wisdom. America doesn't have the military capacity, economic influence, or universal goodwill needed to maintain our security without sincere negotiations. Sure, we can bully, coerce, bribe, and threaten all we want, but the world is a big place, and globalization has made our "enemies" more mobile, remote, and creative.

Anyway, I think Obama's determination to engage the Middle East has certainly been a wise and admirable gesture, and I am encouraged to read that the UK is following suit, opting to open communication with Lebanon's Hezbollah.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/03/200935122446775120.html

Now before you cry "COMMI!!" and accuse me of being an un-American, terrorist loving radical, let me explain. I don't support Hezbollah per se, nor do I applaud the methods that this group and others have been implementing in past years. But as the article explains, Lebanon is approaching elections, and Hezbollah may become an even more powerful political presence.

I understand we take moral issue with these groups sometimes. But we can't allow our pride or our sense of ethical superiority to blind us from reality. The reality is that Hezbollah, Hamas, and Ahmedenijad all exist. This reality may be unpleasant and worrisome, but it exists nonetheless. We need to be careful--sometimes it is right to ignore these groups and deprive them of legitimacy. However, many of them are already much more legitmate than we'd like to admit, and it's better to face them sooner, rather than later, when it may be too late.