I, too, share the confusion over how we arrived in this situation.
What will we talk about with the Iranians? What we have to give them to stop killing Americans in Iraq? How many Americans they are allowed to kill per week? What weapons they are allowed to kill Americans with? Or will we just make sure they kill Iraqis and that will be fine with us?
Sadly, it isn't just us. The Pakistanis will (again) be disappointed with the results of their recent talking:
Pakistan's government promised to "gradually" pull out troops from the northwestern valley of Swat after signing a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Wednesday.
The deal was done a day after the United States advised its ally against negotiating with militants, saying it could give them breathing space to plot attacks in Pakistan and abroad.
Authorities in North West Frontier Province also agreed to enforce sharia, Islamic law, in Swat in return for assurances that militants led by charismatic cleric Fazlullah will cease attacks, allow girls to go to school and stop carrying weapons in public.
"We hope this agreement will help bring peace in Swat," Bashir Ahmed Bilour, senior provincial minister, told reporters after signing the 15-point pact.
Ali Bakhsh, the militants' representative in the talks, said he was fully satisfied with the agreement.
No doubt Bakhsh was fully satisfied. That speaks well of the agreement, eh?
In time, gradually perhaps, the more excitable Swat residents will get twitchy about strolling sans weapons, mere girls going to school, and of course the fading memories of their last bomb planted by a road. And with no Pakistani troops about, the reason for no weapons, girls in schools, and undamaged roads will get all hazy. Isn't that the whole point of enforcing Sharia, they'll think. We've been hoodwinked!
And then the war will be resumed and the "militants" will be fully satisfied.
But I'm sure our talking with homicidal jihadi maniacs will go much better.
