yeah, its a complex situation (as are most things in life) and there really is no black and white answer. when someone sets off some bombs, and then you agree to bring them to the table, you have a) set a precedent that violence will get you what you want and b) you give legitimacy to their organization. it can undermine all the work that has been done to accomplish a "peaceful" resolution. on the other hand (and it really does depend on the group you are dealing with) many of these groups did not start out violent, but turned that way after they felt that they were not being dealt with fairly in the political process or when they see violence as another option to further their cause. for groups like this, bringing them to the table could be beneficial. just as an example, the IRA. In the 80s, they realized that their campaign no longer furthered their goals, and they began to explore alternatives. they did not abandon their goal of a united ireland, just changed how they were trying to do it. the other part is if the leaders can actually control the rank and file or not. the IRA was much more of a structured organization than, say al-qaeda, where their "leaders" dont really control every little detail of every operation. they are more of a network of like minded people than a structured organization. the IRA's counterpart, the UDF had this problem. the leaders would agree to something, but they couldnt really control the members. the other thing is that, while governments will SAY "we wont negotiate with terrorists", in practice, they DO. the brits maintained secret contact with the IRA, even after they launched a mortar attack on downing street. spain sat down with ETA after they blew up a grocery store. even israel secretly negotiated with the PLO (oslo accords). hell, even the USA will negotiate with terrorists in secret. carter and reagan negotiated with the iranians during the hostage crisis. also, iran-contra. one could maybe argue noriega as well... additionally, the US army has worked very closely with the MeK as well, which is on the list of terrorist organizations. any american found giving support to a group on the list is guilty of a crime, yet the US army would escort MeK members to and from their camp. i guess the hardest part of the entire situation is answering the question "what defines a terrorist". its such a broad and all-encompassing term, and its so politically charged too. edward peck wrote: