"Just a reminder that a couple of days ago, Americans told a foreign government to reject an American peace proposal," tweets Kurt Schlichter. "Americans told a foreigner to defy the United States of America."

What is the world coming to?

Leadership matters, and want-to matters. Wise and understanding leaders who grasp what is important and what is non-negotiable stand a strong chance of arriving at the right solutions in negotiations of any kind. At the same time, there must be a willingness and desire for those solutions on the part of all parties involved.

Peace proposals must be fair. They cannot be a laundry list of desires only, nor can they give away the store. They must honor all of those represented, and they must do what it is they are attempting to do. Experienced leaders who have seen a lot and know a lot of things can be really useful in negotiations, given that they have experienced so much and that they know so much. They can steer those negotiations in the direction of where they feel they must bear, and they can avoid the pitfall of bringing things up that are off the table. They also, experienced and wise leaders, can understand the other side(s) of the negotiating table, avoiding negotiating with those who, for whatever reason, should not be at the table.

Sadly, there are times when governments, regimes, and concentrations of power show that they are not out to make peace. It is truly sad because their ambitions are completely foreign to anything that would result in a peaceful settlement. Thus, no negotiation can actually be had with them. There must be a want-to, a willingness and desire, to come to the negotiating table and to accomplish something that benefits people, human beings.