Diplomacy has not Perished

I am extremely grateful for Becky spotting this article that appeared in The New York Times. It offers commentary on the resolution that the Organization of American States was able to achieve after just a few days of negotiations.

Who would have ever thought that diplomacy was still viable? In an age where pre-emptive strikes are the norm and backing down is seen as cowardice, I was quite relieved that Latin America was practicing core democratic values as they are suppose to be.

It seems that compromise does not entail defeat. Simon Romero claims, "A day after the crisis was resolved at a summit meeting in the Dominican Republic on Friday, it was already clear that nearly all of the players lost something. The leaders of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela traded charges that muddied each of them. Colombia and its ally, the United States, found themselves isolated in the region."

This submit meeting though was positive for all parties involved. Romero chimes in, "the biggest winner appears to have been the region [Latin America] itself, which resolved its own dispute without outside help and without violence." Ecuador and Colombia were able to rectify their concerns without a serious altercation or an intervention from the U.S. or United Nations. Venezuela but in particular Hugo Chávez represented themselves quite well as to avoid any demonizing by foreign nations. All parties behaved like gentleman at the end. Perhaps, the U.S. and other countries may learn a lesson from this event . . . not all solutions must entertain violence.