Should the President Negotiate with His Enemies?

To the Point

KCRW

News

4.4 • 583 Ratings

🗓️ 18 August 2006

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Next week, Iran says it will reply to European and American offers of economic and technological assistance in exchange for halting progress toward building a nuclear bomb. In an open letter, 21 former military officials, diplomats and Pentagon civilians have urged President Bush to resolve the crisis "through diplomacy, not military action," warning of "disastrous consequences" that will damage America's interests. The President has insisted that the military option remain on the table, saying that negotiating with "evil" regimes just rewards bad behavior. Will America be more secure by relying on force--and the threat of force--or negotiating with adversaries? In addition to Iran, what about Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah and North Korea? Making News: Ford Will Cut Production to Speed RestructuringAfter meeting with economic advisors today at Camp David, President Bush pronounced the economy "solid and strong," with growth at 4% and unemployment at 4.8%. Despite his optimism, the Ford Motor Company says it will close plants to cut production by 21%. Jeffrey McCracken, who covers the automotive industry for the Wall Street Journal, assesses the ripple effect of Ford's restructuring on consumers and industry.Reporter's Notebook: US Hopes to Rival Hezbollah with Rebuilding EffortThe Lebanese Army has moved into the southern part of the country, all the way to the Israeli border. Meantime, President Bush has promised to help repair the damage done by Israel in the past month, saying that Hezbollah will be the ultimate loser in southern Lebanon. Can the US rebuild its image by rebuilding Lebanon? Jon Alterman, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs during Bush's first term, is at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.
0:07.7	When should America get tough? And when should it talk?
0:14.1	Hello again, I'm Ormond Olney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International,
0:17.9	a daily look at the issues Americans care about most.
0:20.4	22 former military officials, diplomats, and Pentagon civilians have some urgent advice for President Bush.
0:26.6	In an open letter, they say the current crisis over Iran's nuclear program must be resolved through diplomacy, not military action.
0:34.4	They warn of disastrous consequences that will damage America's interests. But the
0:38.2	President's policy is that negotiating with what he calls evil regimes just rewards bad behavior.
0:43.6	On to the point, will America be more secure by relying on force and the threat of force,
0:48.1	or negotiating with adversaries? In addition to Iran, what about Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah,
0:53.9	and North Korea? First, here's the news.
1:00.0	Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio
1:05.8	International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John
1:10.5	D. and Catherine T. McArthur
1:11.9	Foundation. Hello, again. I'm only back with To the Point. Past presidents tried to negotiate
1:16.0	with their adversaries, but the Bush administration's policy is to isolate them until they
1:20.2	agree to change. On To the Point, will the threat of force and preemptive action protect U.S.
1:25.3	security? Why do former military leaders insist that diplomacy is the better way with Iran, North Korea,
1:32.0	and other potential enemies?
1:33.7	First this news update after meeting with economic advisors today at Camp David,
1:37.2	President Bush had this pronouncement on the economy.
1:40.1	The foundation of our economy is solid and is strong.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KCRW, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KCRW and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.