US Should Talk to al-Qaeda, Analysts Say

Expert negotiators think diplomacy is worth a try against terror network
By Zach Samalin,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 13, 2007 2:29 PM CDT
US Should Talk to al-Qaeda, Analysts Say
This frame grab taken from a video message carrying the logo of al-Qaida's production house as-Sahab and provided by IntelCenter, a U.S. government contractor monitoring al-Qaida messaging, purports to show Al-Qaida's No. 2, Ayman Zawahri. In the video made available Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007 outlining what...   (Associated Press)

Eschewing war as the only means of neutralizing militant groups, some analysts have suggested the US consider negotiating with al-Qaeda, Reuters reports. "No insurgency or terrorism has been defeated by warfare or violence," one negotiator said. Proponents see treating al-Qaeda as a legitimate power, not a loose network of militants, as necessary in destabilizing the group.

One concern is that by initiating conversation with al-Qaeda, the US would legitimize all terrorist groups. Moreover, al-Qaeda makes no political demands, calling for global jihad as an end unto itself. Even so, diplomacy advocates see negotiations on the horizon: "When we can't win a war, we sit down and talk with terrorists and stop calling them terrorists." (More War on Terror stories.)

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