When do leaders decide to negotiate?

Wars are fought by militaries — but they’re usually ended by diplomats. So, what happens when diplomacy is sidelined?

Officials from Washington and Tehran engaged in talks for weeks, trying to avoid war before the U.S. and Israel fired missiles targeting Iran weeks ago. Now, as President Donald Trump publicly muses about why the military is engaged in another conflict in the Middle East, experts are wondering why talks were abandoned in the first place. And about the off ramps for all sides involved.

We look at the role diplomacy plays once a war is already raging — and what happens when negotiations, expertise, and international alliances are weakened.

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