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The Argument Against Negotiating With Terrorists

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“The argument against negotiating with terrorists is simple: Democracies must never give in to violence”1. This for the most part is the official line of most western liberal democracies. The policy of negotiating with terrorists give legitimacy top these violent groups and undermine the actions and methods of other groups who have pursued political change through peaceful means. Peace talks with terrorists can, and have, destabilized the negotiations and undercut international efforts to halt the spread of transnational terrorist actors. It would seem obvious then that states should not negotiate with terrorists. Yet when it comes to the actual negotiation with terrorists historically there is a clear divergence from the “no negotiation” policy. Examples of this divergence from the official policy range from individuals like Nelson Mandela to Yasser Arafat, and Gerry Adams. All three at one time were among those once branded terrorists by particular western democracies.

In the words of Neumann “The key objective for any government contemplating negotiations with terrorists is not simply to end violence but to do so in a way that minimizes the risk of setting dangerous precedents and destabilizing its political system “2. With this in mind, any use of negotiations to be an effective policy tool with regard to terrorists must strive to fit Neumann 's objectives.

What this essay attempt to do is examine what terrorism is and look at whether the motivation for terrorism

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