The American Spectator

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Special Report

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The purpose of pointing out the failures of U.S. policy toward North Korea in the 1990s should not be to score political points, but to respond to those who want to resurrect the same failed policy, not only with regard to North Korea, but with our other enemies as well.

It may be tempting to believe that talking to Iran and Syria could help the situation in Iraq and stall Iran's nuclear program, but that's simply wishful thinking. Syria and Iran will never help the U.S. succeed in Iraq, because a stable democratic Iraq is against their interests -- that's why they're supporting insurgents in the first place.

In the past several years, Iran has pursued a nuclear weapons program in defiance of the international community. Its leaders have spoken of a world without America and its president has threatened to wipe one of its neighbors off of the map. Were America to reward this behavior by engaging in direct talks with the country, it would only encourage Iran to act even more despicably.

There may be certain cases in which talking directly with our enemies can be helpful, but such dialogue does not work like magic pixie dust to fix problems that are intractable for a reason.

topics:
Bill Clinton, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons