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Talk, Cheap

Condoleezza Rice says the United States will join Iraq in sitting down with Syria and Iran.

Anyone care to guess whether anything good will come of this?  If it leads to serious talks, if there are any agreements, what they will be worth?  Talk is fine, from a position of strength, and sooner or later Iraq need to reach an accommodation with its neighbors.  So, are we there yet?  I doubt it.

Could be a good venue for some meaningful chats in the hallways, however.  Also a good place to lay it directly on Iran and Syria, in front of the world: You need to stop what you are doing to Iraq. 

I would say talk-talk shuts up the critics, but it won’t. 

People who think Iran chatter is the key to Iraq peace are thrilled:  “It’s about time.”

Steve Clemons at HuffPo:

“This is a necessary but not sufficient first step in re-establishing a new and more stable equilibrium of interests in the Middle East.”

I agree with the “not sufficient” part.  I don’t think they’ve inflicted nearly enough damage on Iran’s agents and proxies in Iraq.  Not to mention the ones in Iran. 

To the right, Dan Riehlly likes talk.

Topics: Iran

  Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:01 pm on Tuesday, February 27, 2007

6 Responses to “Talk, Cheap”

1. saltydog Says:
   February 27th, 2007 at 11:59 pm

   Just about the time I think this administration is finally getting it right, they do something like this.

2. saltydog Says:
   February 28th, 2007 at 12:16 am

   I wonder just how “cheap” this talk will turn out to be.

3. Purple Avenger Says:
   February 28th, 2007 at 12:34 am

   Think they’ll spend 3 years negotiating the shape of the negotiating table?

4. Effluent Says:
   February 28th, 2007 at 8:42 am

   “Just about the time I think this administration is finally getting it right, they do something like this.”

   Yeah. I certainly hope that the “more stable equilibrium of interests” Mr. Clemons envisions in the Middle East doesn’t turn out like the “equilibrium” Christopher Hill so recently established in the Far East. I almost choked on my coffee when I first heard of that “Agreed Framework II” offal that came out of the Six Party Talks.

   What makes Condi, et al, think that negotiations with Iran would work out any better? (Although she–and George–seem to think that giving the farm away to Kim Chong Il was a master stroke.)

   What do we have left that we can give to Mahmoud?

5. BobBigBear Says:
   February 28th, 2007 at 10:57 am

   Hopefully Condi will get Mr. Roberts to host the talks.

6. RebeccaH Says:
   February 28th, 2007 at 7:25 pm

   Depends on what Condi has in her handbag to hit them over the head with. If it’s “Stop doing what you’re doing for the good of the world”, then it’s just hudna as usual. If it’s “Stop doing what you’re doing or we’re going to lose patience and roll in and flatten you”, then we might get somewhere.

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