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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/27/AR2006042701692.html
What We Don't Grasp About Militant Islam
(Washington Post) David Ignatius - How do you resolve a confrontation with an adversary that appears unable or unwilling to negotiate a settlement? That's a common problem that runs through the West's battles with militant Islam. For a theocratic regime in Iran that claims a mandate from God, the very idea of compromise is anathema. Great issues of war and peace will be resolved by God's will, not by human negotiators. Better to lose than to bargain with the devil. Al-Qaeda also doesn't seek negotiations or a political settlement. The West has placed its hopes on the political maturation of radical Muslim groups. But so far, there is little evidence to support this hope. The Hamas government appears to have nothing it wants to negotiate with Israel.