FrankWolfWatch

David Zucker effectively satirizes Wolf's Iraq Study Group as advocacy of appeasement. [Hat Tip: HBL]

It brings up an important question evaded by advocates of direct negotiation:  What are you willing to give Iran and Syria for what we want?  It reminds me of something I wrote last May when Democrats were advocating direct negotiations with Iran.

In response to the failure of European-Iranian negotiations over Iran's development of nuclear weapons, Democrat leaders are now calling for direct negotiations with Iran.

The key to any negotiation is what less important points are you willing to give up to get what you want.

The Washington Post reports that an unnamed Iranian analyst has explained what the Iranian want from us:

(1) open diplomatic relations between Iran and US,
(2) end US sanctions against Iran,
(3) resolve the nuclear issue, and
(4) end Iran's status as a pariah state.

In the grand scheme of things, as a traditional ally of Iran, we would like all of those things as well, but what would we want in return:

(1) end Iranian sponsorship of terrorism, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and al-Qaeda;
(2) an end to Iranian interference in Iraq;
(3) a verifiable end to all Iranian WMD programs, including nuclear and missile programs;
(4) ending of human rights abuses by Iranian government against its own citizens; and
(5) Iranian recognition of Israel and its right to exist.

Would the Iranian regime agree to our goals? It is not likely that they would agree to any.

So to those praise negotiations, I ask, "Which of our five requirements would you be willing to give up? Further, for the sake of a negotiated settlement, would you be willing to give up all of them?

Dicey (5/2/2006)

Image Source: Cox and Forkum

The really odd thing that I had been hearing from ISG members on TV is that in talking to the Iranians and Syrians we should not assume that we have to give up anything but only establish that we are serious. 

What magic words do they suggest to erase the unserious moderate policy of President Bush?  When we invaded Iraq, our enemies took that action seriously.  When we attempted words instead of violent action in the face of Iranian and Syrian continuing support for terrorism, they stopped taking us seriously.

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