Negotiating with the bad guys

A few months ago, Jack Layton caused a bit of a stir by suggesting it might be more productive to negotiate with the Taliban rather than to kill them. A recent news item reinforces the merit of that approach.

Last week Vietnam was offered membership in the World Trade Organization. This is the same communist-led Vietnam where the United States once waged a brutal war to save its people from godless communism. And who was one of the cheerleaders for its entry into the WTO? Why, none other than the United States. Vietnam's membership "will be an important addition to the organization" enthused an American official. Trade between the two countries is growing rapidly and is now expected to grow even faster. Hanoi will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November and George Bush is scheduled to attend.

If the Americans had opted for negotiation rather than killing in the first place, perhaps over 3,000,000 people wouldn't have died and a country wouldn't have been devastated. Something to keep in mind as we sink ever deeper into the quagmire of Afghanistan.