Americans favor talks with enemies, poll says

It's sort of like talking to an alcoholic. You sit them down, show them the way and then if they don't comply, it's good ridden.

Once Obama does that, then we can try other ways of getting them to comply.

PBS is sponsoring a series of seminars on TV to advise the next president and the public. The seminar I saw included Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, Madeline Albright, James Baker, and others. Colin Powell advised that the next president talk to heads of state, both friend and foe, and especially to listen to what they have to say.

Poor Republicans! Why are they always afraid of strangers and folks that disagree with their views? I bet you most of them still believe that the world is flat. They need to learn how to get along with others. Perhaps, they need a class in sociology.

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."

Americans would do well to remember this saying, and the lesson of how JFK handled the Cuban Missile Crisis through diplomacy, when considering whether or not it is a good idea to engage in dialouge with hostile nations.

Imagine if McCain or Bush had been president then--the Bush/McCain strategy of refusing to negotiate with enemies and sending in the army instead would have resulted in nuclear war. When will the war-heads learn? Thankfully a majority of us have the sense to see Obama is the better candidate for real national security!

Head of States or Leaders of Nation inflicted and injured their own citizens are not the main enemies.It's the Muslim world of mass extremists that are without conscience or sense that is the real danger.Unless those heads of states and leaders are willing to preach peace within their own countries and their people and practice them Barrack Hussein Obama and fools following hims rhetoric about making peace is just an empty cymbol.The Muslims extremists bait for killing more Americans is that magic word PEACE or PIECE OF CRAB as it should put it. If some lunatic comes into your home to murder your own family members are you people saying you will try to make peace or defend your family?This prooves the Muslim theology is ingrained into Barrack Hussein Obamas mind and heart making peace so all you fools get slaughter.Recently there are more and more idiots fall for this self proclaim agent of not any new CHANGE but the same old type of CHANGE for the WORSE.Please my fellow Americans the food is poison.

Oh my GOD!!! What the heck does being Rep or Dem have to do with this issue!!! I read the post by Kris and he starts with "Poor Republicans". I say POOR KRIS. This is about keeping the world safe from nuts that may have nuclear devices and are willing to kill thousands or millions of people just to prove a point. Talking to leaders of countries that are so inclined simply says to the world that they matter. If they cared if they mattered they wouldn't be killing their own people or oppressing women and mutilating children like Iran does. North Korea has killed many thousands of their own people as well. They have to come into the light of the world before they can be recognized.

Once again John McCain really shows his age, he's from the Stone Age! He is so out of touch with the changing world where we talk to our enemies about our differences in order to work out peaceful solutions. He still wants to run around with a club and beat on his chest like early man... McCain belongs in the Museum of Natural History, not The White House! The times they are a changing, Obama '08!!!

Left to our own device, we human will annihilate each other. Why can we open up communication and agree on our disagree. Isn't this why we have the UN? What are the Republican afraid of? We will eventually exterminate each other no doubt. Real men and men of honour tend to have a chat over tea first before go about our natural business. The beloved America that I know is a place of great diversity and difference and that of which makes us a great nation. Not wanting to openly talk to nations what we have disagreement and difference doesn't sound like what our fore-father had in mind when they tried to create this great union...

It is absolutely necessary to talk to our enemies. They own a considerable amount of the oil we import... I don't see why people don't understand that America is losing the war.... not in Afghanistan.... not in Iraq.... but at the gas pump.

I feel sorry for the people that made comments 5 & 6, you sound like a bunch of republican sheep! Go put your hoods back on and sit by your burning crosses, it's a cold world you live in, I would hate for you to catch a cold! :)

What is never addressed is ----WHAT defines "enemy" of the U.S.? Countries often listed in this category have never made any sort of aggressive action against us. If you check out articles such as Gareth Porters, and many others on antiwar.com you might see what I mean.... In this Black or White - with us or against us type administration any nation can be described as an enemy if they don't do what their told, or they are simply located near resources the US wants. After they're declared as enemies, the evidence is cooked to support it. http://antiwar.com/radio/2008/05/22/gareth-porter-27/

What a sham!

Many of you think that sitting down and talking to enemies is a good idea. Yes it is good theorectically. After talking to them .. what next.. you just wasted your time.

I came from that kind of country I felt all sufferings none of americans could have imagine. One thing for sure is they never changed.

They are against America for any reasons. They just don't want America to be a leader in this world.

When you sleep with the swine, you start smelling like a swine

GOP are just hateful bigots and angry mean folk who talk bible but preach bombs.

Ignore that hate mongering Israel first crowd.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted that Muslims would uproot “satanic powers” and reaffirmed his prediction that the Jewish state will soon be wiped off the map, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported Monday.

"Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started," the hard-line president said.

Anybody that would like to travel to Iran and talk with this fruit cake.....have at it.

Stupid liberals.

Dear Swe Minn from comment 12, I suggest you educate yourself on the dark, not so publicized history of this country and therein you will find all sorts of reasons for all sorts of people to take issue with us. Now don’t get me wrong, the USA is the greatest country on earth but it's far from perfect. I welcome you to our country and hope that you are able to find that America spirit that will help us to perfect this nation..

Well Alfred if they dropped a nuclear bomb on your head would they be important enough then to talk too????

#10 Paul Gordon, do you have an opinion or is it just the truth hurts.There were more civilian Americans died during times of Peace Treaty or Agreement than anytime in history.Attacks on commercial airlines was at its highest so no matter how you defend Obama the scars of those piece of shit PEACE AGREEMENT stills visible.

Well of course we want to talk to our enemies. The only thing we can find out is they may not have been our enemies after all. Until some idiot in charge of foreign policy decided they were. The only enemy of the people is Dick Cheney and John McCain. It's time to wake up from the deep dark sleep people.

http://www.bccmeteorites.com/misconduct-planetary.html
SRD-BCCM

Talking never hurts. It is ALWAYS worth a go and if nothing comes from it then we can say we tried.
I don't know what people are so afraid of in talking?
This does not mean that one is soft towards any country...friend or foe...it simply means that another, newer, attempt is being made to break deadlocks that, in the past, never have worked.
Time to change policy and try something different.

There is always then the choice of sanctions and war.

I would imagine that any country that chants Death To America, teaches it's children to kill all from the western hemisphere, wants to wipe Israel off of the map, and is engaged in the manufacturing of nuclear weapons could be considered a true enemy of the US. You folks have to grow up and start living in the real world. It will never be all sunshine and lollipops like your left leaning political hopefuls think it is or ever will be. It seems that your utopia is one of total control of the people by a government of Democrats. Feeding us and providing clothing and housing and doing all of our thinking for us. Didn't work for the commies. Won't work in America either.

We should definitely talk to our enemies. The President of Iran should have an open invitation to visit the White House anytime where he can have tea and crumpets with Jimmy Carter and the rest of the foreign policy team. What he should know is that we believe in talking and that's really why we have a constitution and country. Talking, talking, talking. The more talking, the better -- since everyone knows that terrorists and state-sponsors of terror love to talk. In fact, the only thing they love more than talking is empowering women and promoting democracy and human rights for all and, of course, releasing political prisoners. Oh, and let's not forget free press, association, etc. All of those things our enemies love too and are eager to promote. So, yes, let's talk with the state-sponsors of terror and keep talking until they acquire a nuclear bomb and have the means to blackmail us --- which is even better since it will give us another opportunity to talk, talk, talk..

All of you commenting with the standard- ill informed anti-Iran rhetoric need to check your facts. Please! Please go to antiwar.com and read up about how the US has mishandled the Iran relations to warrant future military action.
http://www.antiwar.com/regions/regions.php?c=Iran

1. Iran has a legitimate right for a monitored nuclear energy program as signers of the non-proliferation treaty. Every single piece of evidence has shown that they are NOT trying to build a friggin bomb---That whole argument is fear mongering- plain and simple

2. Irans President did NOT say it wanted to wipe Israel of the map – poor translation (anyone who speaks more than 1 language like myself, knows this is all too common) - this is the actual phrase بايد از صفحه روزگار محو شود, ---- According to Juan Cole, a University of Michigan Professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History, Ahmadinejad's statement should be translated as “The Imam said that this regime occupying Jerusalem (een rezhim-e eshghalgar-e qods) must [vanish from] the page of time (bayad az safheh-y "
Ahmadinejad did not say he was going to 'wipe Israel off the map' because no such idiom exists in Persian". Instead, "He did say he hoped its regime, i.e., a Jewish-Zionist state occupying Jerusalem, would collapse”.

3. Iranians are mostly supportive of western ideas and support cooperation. Their hardliners are just like ours and are manipulative. Nuclear armed Israel is a great source of fear to them.

Do not ever believe the talking heads of corporate news, without a balance from an opposing viewpoint. Yes Iran is not a model of civil society, yet why should the U.S. preach their destruction??? Israel is a big boy, and the only nuclear armed state in the region....they can handle their own business.

So whats my point?
Don’t trust the gov. to tell you what to think. Don’t fall for the soundbite tricks – educate yourself. You have in front of you the most powerfull communication tool ever created. Use it for more than posting regurgitated lies, and investigate for yourself. Please!

Remember – the good guys are always the pacifists and never the aggressors. Speak softly and carry a big stick. We are the most powerful nation in the history of our entire species. Which nation will ever attack us? We can destroy the entire planet 100 times over! Target the terrorist tactics and keep trade and discussion open with the nations –who can help do the same. P.S. Iran offered to help us find terrorists after 9-11…seriously! Look it up. Its not in the U.S. media.

Actually, the Cuban Missile Crisis was caused by Kennedy's failed meeting with Kruschev. Kennedy's meeting was without preconditions, which is the key word in negotiation. This whole poll is essentially based on a false premise of what the argument between McCain and Obama actually is.

Kruschev sized up Kennedy and deemed him weak. "By all accounts, including Kennedy's own, the meetings were a disaster. Khrushchev berated, belittled, and bullied Kennedy on subjects ranging from Communist ideology to the balance of power between the Soviet and Western blocs, to Laos, to "wars of national liberation," to nuclear testing. He threw down the gauntlet on Berlin in particular, all but threatening war."-Weekly Standard...Obama doesn't know basic US history.

North Korea (remember the Axis of Evil) had nukes and we beat them into submission militarily right? Last I checked it was ultimately diplomacy and not a military attack that made that situation a little better. All we did was make ourselves look stupid by talking the talk without...you know.

Hold your friends close and your enemies closer the better to judge the danger..... Therein lies the truth. On top of that, there might just be a smart way to neutralize them without violence - my God, what an incredible idea!

The problem is it takes a strong person and a strong and confident country to be able to take those steps. America has in my view been too angry and yes, even afraid, to take these necessary steps. This is the fear that Bush and his whackers have been using to stay in power and justify stupid things and ideas such as are held by some posters here.

Peace is not a right or left idea, it is a human one that is worth striving for. Imagine what the billions spent in Iraq could have done if applied to diplomacy and strategic surgery on terrorism, rather than on just blowing everything up and fueling, no in fact now inciting, the religious war that Osama is leading. Why not stand on the side of humanity - the leaders are the ones to get at, not the population itself, which is just trying to have a life like everyone else.

K M B - boy did Kruschev make a big mistake....... He misjudged Kennedy and America to his own country's ultimate loss of the cold war. I don't think that you can argue that Kennedy made a mistake to meet with Kruschev, you might say he gave Kruschev the wrong impression. To suggest Obama does not know history or what can be learned from Kennedy's diplomacy efforts are naive on your part. I again say it pays to know your enemy even better than you know your friends. How are you going to do that except, at some point, with the right background and the right message in hand, looking him or her in the eye? And I think Bush failed this test with Putin, despite his rather simplistic and ineffective approach to diplomacy. I don't think Putin has a particularly pure sole, nor do I think he underestimated Bush as Bush did him.

The meeting is not the problem it might be part of the solution. The challenge is having the ight American leader in the meeting at the right time with the right message. Who can then take his understanding of his opponent on to the next level of any strategy to deal with the issues. Looking into someone's sole, declaring it good and then letting him take advantage of you while you are dealing with other issues is not the right answer to engaging your enemies either. And a big mistake that is going to come back and bite the US in due course.

Iran is a small and poor country really, it has no industrial capacity or strength, no large economy other than petroleum, and practically a WW I military (with a few upgrades). Comparing Iran to 1935 Germany is idiotic at best. The USA must be in very good shape if that is the biggest threat we face. Iran is the closest Muslim thing to a democracy in a region full of potentates, emirs, kings and princes. We should be talking to them, yesterday. The people of Iran (and I've actually met some) are very friendly toward the ideals of America despite the decades of meddling, coups, CIA plots, and media bias. Bush-McCain could not be more wrong about how to approach them and deal with them. Also you might as well get use to the idea of Iran with a nuclear weapon. You can't really blame them since Israel has many nucs and the US /Bush/McCain Empire builders seem intent on invading and "democratizing" the middle east at the point of a gun. If you were looking at the world from where they sit, you'd want a nuclear deterrence too. If you were sitting on a park bench between two others and a big guy walked up and killed one on each side of you you'd want a gun asap. Well the USA just bumped off Iraq, and Afghanistan... Unfortunately we now find ourself in the situation where Bush/McCain warmongering has absolutely guaranteed that Iran wants a nuc... And that is why we need to talk asap, because having and using are very very different things......

Hi taihunter,

You're right about getting a balanced view. But I'm not sure an antiwar website is the most unbiased place you can go to :)

"the good guys are always the pacifists and never the aggressors. Speak softly and carry a big stick."
Neville Chamberlain was a pacifist. Winston Churchill was not.
What's the big stick for, if no one believes you'll use it?

On the other hand I don't think the Iraq War was justified, nor was it legal.And I agree with you when you say "Target the terrorist tactics and keep trade and discussion open with the nations –who can help do the same"
Constant warmongering doesn't help.

Dear skmj from comment # 18. Are you serious, hahaha, you crack me up! Is that really the best argument you can pose? This country has enjoyed times of peace far greater than times of war, so yes therefore more civilians die during times of peace… More people die in car accidents each year in the US than in all the attacks on commercial airlines that you speak of you idiot! So let me guess, you also want to start a war with the motor city, yeah lets blame them, hahahahaaaa! Maybe you should try loosening your hood so you don’t cut off so much oxygen to your brain Einstein!

dialogue is so important for peace and devellopment
forme is necessary universal education for all children,and education is impossible without food for the chilbren
first question a consensus for a universal program of general education and food
second question for dialogue no missils no war ,peace and education
third question more money for health and education,small money for war
investissements in dialogue and education is the solution

#30 Paul Gordon

Am I talking to a nerd or a moron like you.I rather face a wild beast than a fool.

The more you IGNORE someone, the more it irritates & creates puss... Universal Sign Language should be mandatory ( there is such a thing), or get out..interpretations & mis-communication-Kaput. But hey...that would create jobs and we cant have that. How are we going to tell everybody what to do... other than under the table??? "MONEY Talks", thats the current motto.

"Barbarism is the natural state of mankind," the borderer said, still staring somberly at the Cimmerian. "Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph."

Khitan General: We have won again. This is good! But what is best in life?
Khitan Warrior: The open steppe, a fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair.
Khitan General: Wrong! Conan, what is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!
Khitan General: That is good.

we should speak with the our friends including Mr. Semino; our enemies, including Mr. Fuzi, less so. What about the waves? What are we going to do about the waves?

Where does it say 'without preconditions' in this article??? This is the crux of Obama's argument! Unless, of course, he has 'clarified' this issue l\ike all of the other ones he has put his foot in. This article is deliberately misconstruing the issue!

When two people are engaged in a real conversation, it is difficult to use weapons against one another. One also finds out why the other side feels as they do, and what may help them meet you in the middle. I say "may." Consensus may not always be possible, but it is ALWAYS preferable.

It's kind of like the lottery. "You can't WIN if you don't PLAY." In other words, you can't have peace if you don't TRY! It will seldom fall in ones lap. But it is worth working toward.

If an armed madman starts taking hostages, do the police say, "We're not going to talk to you until you change your ways!" Do they argue that talking to the hostage taker will give him prestige? The police may not give into the criminal's demands, but they will listen, and try to talk him down.

There are two kinds of terrorists. One is most extreme of the extreme. They believe that they are doing the right thing. The other is a guy who just wants to feed his family, and the money that terrorist #1 offers is too good to pass up.

America is believed to be "The Great Satan" because that's what they hear, and no one argues it. America, for its part, refuses to talk in such a way that it conveys arrogance, solidifying the stereotype. Bush's "shoot first and make peace later" policy encased it in carbonite. We're the ones furthering the idea that we're evil. It would be much harder to demonize America if we said we just want to talk. We may not be able to change terrorist #1's mind, but we can prevent more people from becoming terrorist #1.

Our main tool for imposing our will on nations we don't like is economic sanctions. Their leaders refuse to budge, and the nations become poorer since they can barely trade. These countries are then left in a bubble, where their leaders use state-controlled media to try to convince civilians that we are evil, and, once again, we make it easy for them to do so. The civilians are left to suffer as the government controls everything, including the message. Most of these people couldn't care less about a country thousands of miles away. Whether we're evil or not doesn't affect them. However, they could sure use the money that terrorist #1 is offering. And thus, terrorist #2 is born. Here's the thing though: how many people would take a job where they risk getting shot at unless they're wondering where their next meal will come from?

Lastly, what exactly is the point of the "prestige" argument? The leaders in question exist, and the US recognizes them as a potential threat. What more "prestige" do they need? How will having more "prestige" benefit them? Will they become more dangerous once they have "prestige"? It's a completely pointless argument. Bush would have a better time trying to sell us on the idea that [insert enemy of America here] is developing cootie-based biological weapons.

Remember the three stooges they always hurt themselves when trying to fix something either in the head,the toe or any parts of the body.Well thats exactly your Peace Policy looks like even though you get hit on the head you still think it is possible? Whats the word for that a "NUT"?

Some of the comments here are really juvenile and should be ignored. Paul S. and Paul G, you're wasting your breath on skmj.
My take on the direct diplomacy issue - viewed from afar and from ignorance, every problem will look like a nail, requiring only a hammer. Learning, via direct diplomacy can be the means for selecting the appropriate tools (aka - methods) for dealing with problems to the betterment of the world.