Engagement is NOT appeasement.

"Engagement is not appeasement. Diplomacy is not retreat."

So said Republican Senator Chuck Hagel. Speaking at the Johns Hopkins School of AdvancedInternational Studies, he continued:

There is always going to be a certain know-nothing element to democracy. That is their choice. But in a world that is so vitally interconnected, it does help if you try to understand the other side.

More here.

Talking to your enemies: a strategy to consider as the world is about to confront a nuclear Iran. Anything would be better than the current US government's actual strengthening of Iran.