U.S., Iran thaw out frigid history

The 27-year diplomatic freeze between the United States and Iran is finally starting to… The 27-year diplomatic freeze between the United States and Iran is finally starting to thaw. The two countries sat down to discuss security issues in Iraq at a four-hour meeting on Monday.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker told the Washington Post that the meeting was positive with cordial discussion highlighting “support for a secure, stable, democratic, federal Iraq, in control of its own security, at peace with its neighbors.”

Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi shared Crocker’s concerns and offered to provide “all kinds of support, such as consultations, rehabilitation training and provision of weapons to the Iraqi forces.”

Best friends, right? Not exactly. The two countries predictably began parting ways when the U.S. ambassador introduced the issue of Iran’s support for Iraqi militias, which, the United States says, is the cause for much of the violence in Iraq. Qomi did not respond to U.S. comments, which pushed for “a change in Iranian behavior,”

Well, at least we tried. Nobody was really expecting the Unites States and Iran to kiss and make up and agree on every single issue. The point is that a meeting finally took place, that our childish silent treatment policy has finally been put aside and that we can finally begin to forget our differences and focus on what is best for Iraq.

And with officials suggesting that additional meetings are likely to take place, there is hope that the very sensitive issues, like Iran’s nuclear enrichment policy, can be explored in the future. But for now, the important thing is just to break the ice.

It is true that the meeting did not generate any major breakthroughs when it comes to Iraqi security, but it was a promising first step in the direction of better global diplomacy. Giving our enemies the cold shoulder will never amount to much change in policy. It also prevents us from knowing our enemies and, thus, the best way to deal with their actions.

Politicians like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who casually talk – or sing – about bombing Iran perhaps best display this kind of ignorance. For a nation that has not spoken to Iran in almost 30 years, it is unsettling to think how quickly so many lawmakers are jumping the military gun. And yet, for so long, talking was strictly out of the question.

So it’s reassuring that we have, at long last, grown out of that fifth-grade schoolgirl mentality and finally decided to approach Iran on the playground. If anything, the meeting has helped get rid of some tension between the two countries and has opened the door for deeper discussion.

Who knows? Maybe in the distant future, the United States and Iran will be pals. And it will be just in time. Because years from now, when aliens have invaded Earth and unleashed a new, extraterrestrial form of terrorism, we’ll be happy that we patched up our problems with Iran. Fighting aliens is a global effort, and it’s always better to have more friends than foes in a time of cosmic war.