Clinton's Characterization of North Korea Downplays Threat
By Rep. Ed Royce | 07/21/09 | 05:59 PM EDT | 4 Comments
Secretary Clinton has taken a bit of deserved heat for her comment this week that North Korea is acting out like a child, seeking attention. Her unfortunate quote hopefully doesn't reflect her true views of North Korea. Obama Administration policies will tell.
We struggle with characterizing North Korea, needless to say. In May, I posted ("Crazy Not?") that the often-heard view that Kim Jong-il is crazy is well, ... crazy. He and his father have managed to hold power for over 60 years; his regime has impressively advanced its missile and nuclear programs; it runs a sophisticated criminal and proliferation network; North Korea may be involved in a potent hacking scheme against U.S. computer networks; and this dictator has played the U.S. and others like a fiddle in the nuclear negotiations, extracting all kinds of benefits at next to no cost. Crazy, most definitely not.
President Bush famously put the North Korea regime in the "axis of evil" league. This horrified State Departmenters, and others, but the President actually met with North Korean defectors who told him first-hand about barbaric North Korean camps where people are worked to death. The Obama Administration, by contrast, hasn't even filled the North Korean human rights position yet (but has filled countless other envoy slots). I'd say "evil" is closer to the mark than "crazy" or "child-like." President Bush's view, however, didn't keep his State Department from chasing an elusive nuclear agreement with North Korea.
Secretary Clinton suggested that the U.S. won't give child-like North Korea the attention it's craving. Yet her lieutenant charged with Asia was in Seoul at the time, speaking of putting together a "comprehensive package" of aid to lure North Korea back to the negotiating table. Meet the new Administration, same as the old Administration?
Secretary Clinton's attempted put-down of Kim Jong-Il shows un-seriousness about a serious threat. This isn't child's play. We'll see if the Administration's North Korea policy will be better than this rhetoric. Talk of a "comprehensive package" of aid isn't encouraging.
| 
|
4 Comments | Related Topics »Orange County (CA) | National
RECOMMENDED SITES
Comments
North Korea's Jim Kong Il is crazy like a fox. A hardline approach is the only way to deal with this country. Aid packages are for suckers and will be interpreted as a sign of weakness.
Secretary Clinton know better, or should know better. Kim Jong-Il made her husband and former Secretary of State Albright look like fools. Light-water reactors in exchange for broken promises......she must have a short memory.
I know this column is from Congressman Royce and the decorum afforded him with the photo choice is more than respectable.
But we all know that the only proper likeness of Kim Jong-Il is the puppet version of him from "Team America: World Police".
Kim Jong-ll is a dictator.
His sole purpose is to remain in power. Presently, to keep his family in power.
Kim's insistence on nuclearization has upset his most powerful weapon - China. China enjoys the buffer between itself and Seoul (the west), but seems to be considering wether the buffer is worth the region (S. Korea, Japan, etc...) going nuclear. China is also concerned about millions of North korean refugees flooding its border region.
The World Food Bank states without additional contributions and staff over 7 million North Korean women and children will starve.
The strengthning of sanctions is restricting the ability of the regime to continue the ability to present lavish gifts to other powerful factions within the country destabilizing the tenuous loyalty to the ruling dictator or the apparent heir.
When a wounded animal is cornered it becomes very unpredictable and very dangerous.
N. Korea is no child in any sense of the word. It is a very dangerous and wounded animal and if extreme care isn't taken someone might get bit even though the animal will certainly die.
Post new comment