Talking offers hope of a peaceful solution. But we’re not allowed to do it

An important academic investigation to be published in a few days prompts me to ask important questions. Could we save the lives of our people in Isis hands if we talked to the “Islamic State” it claims to represent? Jordan publicly declared its willingness – tragically in vain – to do a hostage swap with Isis. And didn’t the Americans exchange a US serviceman for Taliban prisoners? More to the point, won’t talking to the bad guys be more effective in bringing peace than refusing to