Talking about talks

Amir Taheri:

-- JUDGING by reports from half a dozen capitals, lots of people seem to be negotiating with lots of others about future talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Five Plus One Group - the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany. Talking about talks is an old tactic, used whenever adversaries run out of ideas about their next move.

The assumption is that, so long as the two sides are talking about talks, neither will do anything to jeopardize the possibility of holding "real talks" later on.

Sometimes one side or the other uses the tactic to buy time. In 1934, for example, the new Nazi regime in Germany initiated talks about talks with Britain and France. By 1938, those talks about talks had paved the way for real talks between Chancellor Adolf Hitler and British and French Prime Ministers Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier. Both sides had bought time - but each used it differently. Hitler used his time to rebuild Germany's war machine; Britain and France used theirs to deepen their illusions about an ever-elusive peace.

Talking about talks can also be used as substitute for policy.

...

It is apparently the BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) for all sides. It is also the best alternative to doing something to stop the Iranians from building their nuke weapons. For that reason we are going to let the Euros and the Russians and Chinese talk themselves into acknowledging that the Iranians are incorrigible.

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