The Foreign Service Journal, June 2007

In 1998 and again in 1999, for example, the Iranians rejected the Clinton administration’s serious offer of talks without preconditions (“a road map to better relations”). Then in 2003, Washington— riding a wave of illusory triumph in Iraq — ig- nored a proposal from the Iranians to open talks on all subjects of mutu- al interest. If our two countries ever do agree to negotiations, each side will come to the table already convinced that the other side’s only purpose is to cheat and deceive. Many Iranians will ask (repeating Khomeini’s famous image), “Why should the sheep negotiate with the wolf?” Many Americans will ask, “What do we have to negotiate about? The Iranians are so devious (and we are so simple) that we will lose everything and gain nothing.” Yet the United States and Iran need not be con- demned to endless enmity. All this mutual demonizing and myth-mak- ing should not be an eternal and impassable barrier to our two coun- tries’ talking out our differences rather than shouting or shooting at each other. Despite the myths and rhetoric, the number of actual casu- alties in our conflict — in Beirut, the Persian Gulf and even in the sub- urbs of Washington, D.C. — has so far been relatively small, in the hun- dreds on each side. Compare those numbers with the hundreds of thou- sands of victims on both sides of the Vietnam War, and it is hard to understand how the U.S. can today enjoy nor- mal diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, while we and the Islamic Republic cannot find our way out of a quagmire of myths and festering grievances, real and imagined. n F O C U S J U N E 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 25 All this demonizing should not keep our two countries from talking out our differences. Interim Accommodations for Corporate and Government Markets Apartments, Townhouses & Single Family Homes “FOR THE EXECUTIVE ON THE MOVE” h finder5@IX.netcom.com Locations throughout Northern Virginia and D.C. Units fully furnished, equipped and accessorized Many “Walk to Metro” locations Pet Friendly 5105-L Backlick Road, Annandale, Virginia Tel: (703) 354-4070 Fax: (703) 642-3619 Executive Lodging Alternatives