Fighting Words

You've heard the saying that we shouldn't be afraid to talk to our enemies. What harm does it do, proponents of talking will ask? After all, you make peace with enemies, right?

I've never been persuaded by the logic. Oh sure, in theory talking is fine. But in practice it rarely works out. Why? Because to our enemies, talking is just another front for achieving victory. They'll use tanks, suicide bombs, nukes, or pens to win--but their objective remains winning.

We on the other hand, generally think talking isn't what you do with your enemies, it is what you do with people who sadly don't share the same frame of reference. So talking can promote understanding and then you'll find out you aren't enemies after all!

Though the left side of the spectrum favors talking to "enemies," they don't actually accept that we are talking with an enemy. So the concept of winning those talks is alien.

So, with our side not really viewing those we talk to as enemies, and our enemies viewing talking as a form of warfare, talking tends to favor our enemies.

I'm more than happy to make a deal with the proponents of talking: If I agree that we can talk to our enemies, will you agree that we are talking to actual enemies and that victory is the goal of the talks?