Nothing justifies negotiating with evil. President Obama does not grasp this truth. The State of Israel does. Not even Obama’s enormous charm gives him an advantage with evil. And if there is one thing more than any other that President Ahmadinejad has made unequivocally clear it is that he has no interest whatsoever in accommodating Obama, but only in conquering him. And Obama’s now-famous speech in Egypt at Cairo University‑‑“A New Beginning”‑‑ makes it abundantly clear that he is woefully naïve in his supposition that the only thing folks like Ahmadinejad need in order to change is for the United States to sincerely extend the “olive branch” as they say.
The very idea of extending an “olive branch” to a person who denies the reality of American Slavery is simply unthinkable. If that is so, then has to be equally unacceptable to extend an “olive branch” to anyone who denies the reality of the Holocaust, as is the case with Ahmadinejad. And this tells us something very disturbing about Obama’s thinking.
What Ahmadinejad wants is not an “olive branch” from Obama, but the man’s arm so that he (Ahmadinejad) can cut it off.
It would of course be an absolutely wonderful thing if all the world were interested in peace and if all were willing to engage in a measure of compromise in order achieve that end. However, the latest events in Iran stand as a most poignant reminder that not everyone is 
prepared to be so open-minded.
Today, “Neda’ (not necessarily her real name) was shot in the streets and killed by a pro-Ahmadinejad soldier; and there was not even a symbolic gesture of concern and sorrow on the part of the Ahmadinejad administration. None at all, though all the world is watching.
There can be no clearer sign that a person truly has a hardened and evil heart than that the individual is no longer concerned with even the appearances of decency. It will be recalled that in Plato’s Republic even the unjust man is concerned with appearances.
But Ahmadinejad’s brutal callousness should not surprise us, since we know that he denies the very reality of the Holocaust.
I hold a very simple view, namely that evil has but one aim, namely to gain the upper-hand by any means possible.
There surely are people with whom we should be prepared to negotiate. But just as surely: there are people with whom only a fool would negotiate. Wisdom consists in knowing the difference. Goodwill is one thing; weakness is quite another. Evil should never have any reason whatsoever to take an instance of the former as a sign of the latter.
Every time I hear of Muslim Arabs committing a suicide attack against a mosque, it is manifestly clear to me that any negotiation with Muslim Arabs who so behave is entirely out of the question. This would be rather like negotiating with someone whose options for me are to throw me in a lion’s den or in a pit of snakes. I may die in the end, but I would not give that person the satisfaction me thinking for a moment that he had given me a meaningful choice. I would not negotiate with evil.
It is this insight that is at the heart of Socrates’s that a person who is not prepared to die for something cannot live a meaningful life.
In this odd respect, it turns out that greater courage is being shown by evil; for at least those committing suicide -bombings are willing to die for that which they believe in; and this truth gives the side of evil enormous power and leverage against Europe and the United States.
Hitler and Ahmadinejad are two evil individuals. The sooner this is recognized by the West, the safer the world will be. The victory of evil lies in the foolish thought on the part of any Western country that it can pull off an extraordinary negotiation with Ahmadinejad that will be beneficial to all—both Ahmadinejad and the West. This is none other than a form of massive self-deception. And once more, it would appear that the West is far more self-deceived than Ahmadinejad himself turns out to be.
After all, it was not too long ago when it would have been rather self-evident on the part of all in the West that only a fool would attempt to negotiate with evil. Alas, the West has fooled itself into thinking that progress is possible by negotiating with evil. This is a most tragic mistake and President Barack Obama symbolizes the naiveté of entertaining such an idea.
Thursday: Sarkozy & the burqa in France
Nice writing style. I look forward to reading more in the future.
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Thanks..
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You know, I have to tell you, I really enjoy this blog and the insight from everyone who participates. I find it to be refreshing and very informative. I wish there were more blogs like it. Anyway, I felt it was about time I posted, I
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I’ve been reading along for a while now. I just wanted to drop you a comment to say keep up the good work.
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Do you do blogroll exchanging? If you want to exchange links let me know.
Email me back if you’re interested.
Hello.
I would like to put a link to your site on my blog roll if you want to do the same for mine. It would be a good way to build up both of our readerships.
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Hello. I was reading someone elses blog and saw you on their blogroll. Would you be interested in exchanging blog roll links? If so, feel free to email me.
Thanks.
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Great Blog post. I am going to bookmark and read more often. I love the Blog template
You know, I have to tell you, I really enjoy this blog and the insight from everyone who participates. I find it to be refreshing and very informative. I wish there were more blogs like it. Anyway, I felt it was about time I posted, I
Great post. I will read your posts frequently. Added you to the RSS reader.
Thanks for posting the article, was certainly a great read!
Hi,
I’m just getting started with my new blog. Would you want to exchange links on our blog-rolls?
BTW – I’m up to about 100 visitors per day.
Hi. I read a few of your other posts and wanted to know if you would be interested in exchanging blogroll links?
Great Blog post. I am going to bookmark and read more often. I love the Blog template
Well said
Just wanted to say HI. I found your blog a few days ago on Technorati and have been reading it over the past few days.
Great Blog post. I am going to bookmark and read more often. I love the Blog template
Great Blog post. I am going to bookmark and read more often. I love the Blog template
Where did you get your blog layout from? I’d like to get one like it for my blog.
You make it sound so simple. Ahmadinejad is a pawn with no real power. I am not a fan of Obama’s policies. But in this case especially when the US has no leverage. This was the only thing that could be done. As sad as it is there are times when an individual must be willing to commit an evil for the greater good.
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that I have really liked browsing your blog posts. In any case
I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!