Talking with Iran

This past week, Obama has received criticism from McCain for his willingness to talk to countries with leaders such as Iran with Ahmadinejad. However, there are two advantages that can derived from speaking with such tyrants:

1. As the wise Sun-tzu said, "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Ahmadinejad may be some horrible man, but the last we thing should do is to leave him alone and come to find out that he's been making an Atomic bomb. Also, by negotiating for peace with and even giving foreign aid to Iran, we would not only be keeping tabs on Iran, but also improving our image as a country to the people of Iran.
2. In addition, no matter how crazy, rascist, or prejudice something a man like Ahmadinejad might say, we should always listen. While people may be rascist or prejudice, many times what they say and believe can linked to problems they have. Hitler, for instance, is considered one the worst human beings in history, but America should have seen that his horrible rants against Judaisim were due to the absolutely horrible economy that Germany was experiencing. If America had given more support to Germany following WWI and the economy improved, it's doubtful Hitler could have even come to power.

In conclusion, while negotiating with tyrants and dictators isn't nearly as easy as speaking to the prime minister of Canada, it is a proactive action that maintains our intelligence on foreign countries and that helps us understand the situation in countries.