Seeking an opening in Syria

Miami Herald: It's doubtful that either Sen. Bill Nelson or anyone else in the U.S. government harbors any illusions about Syria. It is a tightly controlled police state, an implacable foe of Israel, a troublemaker in Lebanon, a malign influence on Middle East politics and a reliable opponent of U.S. policy in the United Nations. In other words, this is exactly the kind of country we should be talking to if want to make changes for the better in the region.
Talking to friendly nations in the Middle East -- Jordan and Egypt, say -- is easy. That's because we share some common values and goals -- stability, peaceful coexistence with Israel, the elimination of terrorism. But the problems in this volatile part of the world aren't caused by our friends, but by the likes of Syria and Iran. Talking to either one, as Sen. Nelson did in his recent visit to Damascus, may be distasteful, but it can be useful.
This was Sen. Nelson's third meeting with President Assad. Other U.S. lawmakers have met with him, too. All of which makes White House criticism of the Nelson visit bewildering. Diplomatic relations are the responsibility of the executive branch, but legislators -- particularly those like Sen. Nelson with oversight responsibility in the realm of international security -- have an obligation to visit other countries on fact-finding missions.
The U.S. policy of not talking to leaders like Syrian President Bashar Assad has not reaped any notable benefits. Talking to him may not either, but we won't know until we try.
Odious North Korea
Assad's government, in any case, is no worse than other unsavory regimes around the world that the United States engages when it has to. This includes Sudan, responsible for the unending human catastrophe in Darfur, and the odious North Korean regime of Kim Jong-Il.
Although talks with North Korea have been part of a six-nation framework that avoids face-to-face negotiations between U.S. and North Korean diplomats, they are an acknowledgment that diplomacy is an indispensable tool in international relations. Talking with other countries is not a "reward" for acceptable behavior, but rather a process.