The Art of Negotiation

Our three-year-old grandson, Cole, who lives in Seattle has already learned the art of negotiation. Whenever his mother tells him "no" to a particular request, his reply is "Let's talk about it."

We are hearing a lot in the news the past few days about the conflict between McCain and Obama regarding whether to negotiate freely with Islamic terrorist groups or not. I guess I am, once again, in the middle on this argument. On the one hand, I have hated the elitist attitude of the Bush administration for the past seven years. The word "no" has been used strongly and repeatedly as diplomacy, negotiation, and talk have been suggested. It has been bluntly stated by Bush many times in recent years.

On the other hand, I have just completed a non-fiction book entitled The Siege of Mecca by Yaroslav Trofimov which has reminded me of the centuries of enmity between the Islamic culture and Western culture--and even the enmity among the different religious elements of society. I, like thousands of others who would like to have peace, debate the question of talking to those who oppose our presence in the Middle East so strongly. Could anything be accomplished through such a process? I tend to belief it could cause no harm.

One cannot fail to see the irony, however, of the Bush administration's recent visits to the Middle East with now a completely open attitude toward forming a Palestinian state. Is he really that interested in appeasing the Palestinians, or is he simply looking toward his own legacy should that goal be accomplished under his watch?

The art of negotiation is obviously a very difficult process. A resounding "no" rarely accomplishes a goal, yet a "Let's talk about it" attitude can often lead to unwise concessions. Even three-year-old children know that.