When I think of 9/11 and even the movies showing the events of that day, it makes it so hard to think of the word “Negotiation” but this is just what’s on the mind of Sir Hugh Orde. As head of the Police Service in Northern Ireland and one of the UK’s most senior policemen, his words will carry a lot of weight but the idea to negotiate with Al Qaeda will not go down well with millions of people around the world.

Sir Hugh Orde said he “could not think of a single terrorism campaign in history that ended without negotiation” and if this is true, how does Al Qaeda compare to them and what about the U.S. policy not to negotiate with terrorists. We also hear that Sir Hugh could be the next commissioner of the Metropolitan Police as he is a front-runner for the position, this could then have an affect on how terrorism is dealt with in London.

It may not be that hard to think about negotiating with Al Qaeda as its always better to find a solution to problems, but how could we really find a middle ground on what Al Qaeda wants from the western world?

After dealing with the IRA for 30 years, Sir Hugh believes that arresting people and detecting plots is not enough, so does that only leave negotiation or is there another way to deal with Al Qaeda?

Sir Hugh Orde made this statement in an interview “what fixes it is talking and engaging and judging when the conditions are right for that to take place.”.

Do you believe it is possible to talk and negotiate with Al Qaeda?

Source: Read