June 26, 2008 8:43

Diplomatic Victory in North Korea

Posted by Joe Klein | Comments (35) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This

As I was saying yesterday, there would be more encouraging developments from North Korean soon. Now comes word that the North Koreans will blow up the cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear power plant, the source of the plutonium used to make its bombs. Congratulations to George W. Bush for finally making the correct choice--diplomatic engagement, regional talks that enabled quiet unofficial contacts with the North Koreans, which then led to direct negotiations--in resolving this dispute. Wonder what John Bolton is thinking this morning?

Update: John McCain has just released this statement, which is a bit too grudging for my taste, but does raise the appropriate questions going forward:

"The announcement today that North Korea has provided information concerning elements of its nuclear program is a modest step forward, as will be the destruction of the disabled cooling tower of Yongbyon. But it is only a step covering one part of North Korea's nuclear activities. It is important to remember our goal has been the full, permanent and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. That must remain our goal. The Six Party agreement called for North Korea to make a full declaration of all its nuclear weapons and nuclear programs. Many questions remain about North Korea's programs, including the disposition of plutonium at Yongbyon, the number and status of nuclear weapons, the nature of the highly-enriched uranium program, and the extent of proliferation activities in countries like Syria. I also want to make sure we fully account for the legitimate concerns of our South Korean and Japanes e allies as we move forward. I understand certain sanctions were lifted today, some may be lifted in 45 days, and others remain in place.
"As we review this declaration and attempt to verify North Korean claims, we must keep diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea to meet all of its obligations under the Six Party agreement, including denuclearization. If we are unable to fully verify the declaration submitted today and if I am not satisfied with the verification mechanisms developed, I would not support the easing of sanctions on North Korea."

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Reader Comments (35)

Cubiclewarrior:

What is this diplomatic engagement of which you speak? Last time I checked, we were calling that appeasement.

Posted by Cubiclewarrior | June 26, 2008 8:52 AM

Rustydog:

Yes Joe Klien this is indeed good news. One of the 3 "Axis of Evil" have finally reponded. How long has these negotiations been going on now? Wasn't Madeline Albright involved in some point WAY back in the Clinton Administration? Appeasement does not work when you are trying to negotiate with extremists. In foriegn lands or at home.

I wonder how many hundreds of years this would have gone on if we had adopted an Obama-style of foriegn policy of meeting with these crazy tyrants "with no pre-conditions"?

Thank goodness George Bush and his foriegn policy experts have made this progress before we again risk it all on a potential Democrat President.

NO INTEGRITY - NO CHARACTER - NO EXPERIENCE - JUST SAY NO TO OBAMA '08

Posted by Rustydog | June 26, 2008 8:56 AM

attaturk:

I'm waiting for the explanation of how this makes Barack Obama naive -- to actually be right about the need for diplomacy over conflict, yet again.

Posted by attaturk | June 26, 2008 8:56 AM

Disenfranchised_Libertarian:

@Cubiclewarrior

lol. Just a reminder -

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush said in an address to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Thursday. "We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is - the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

Posted by Disenfranchised_Libertarian | June 26, 2008 9:05 AM

Cubiclewarrior:

@D_L

That day, when the nooz networks were playing that particular clip, I was holding my then two-day-old son. He started to cry. I suppose it could have been gas, but I like to think that The Stupid was clear even to his infant brain.

Posted by Cubiclewarrior | June 26, 2008 9:12 AM

Elvis Elvisberg

Amazing news. Joe, how on earth did this happen? It cuts against everything in the Bush foreign policy. Was it career State Dept types managing to take charge?

Rustydog beat you to it, attaturk. Rusty, you might enjoy this site. (Sorry, no scratch-n-sniff technology yet available on the Internets).

Posted by Elvis Elvisberg | June 26, 2008 9:18 AM

Paul Dirks

Appeasement does not work when you are an extremist.

There Rusty, fixed that for you.....

Posted by Paul Dirks | June 26, 2008 9:18 AM

Rustydog:

As I said, you cannot appease extremists whether they live in a foreign country or here at home (liberal Swamplanders included). HA!

But, we are ready to supposedly elect the learn-on-the-job Obama. What a joke! Before Obama understands the intricacies of diplomacy, his one-term will be over!

Obama will have to switch our nationally predominantly religion from Christian to Muslim so that we can all pray at least twice a day. Do they pray twice a day?

If you are not sure, and want to be prepared for what Obama will bring to your home town, this is the site that has the times you should pray to Allah based on where you live. It will even tell you which direction to face!

http://www.qibla.org/

I think I even noticed an Obama endorsement in the advertising for this Islamic site.

Posted by Rustydog | June 26, 2008 9:32 AM

SpotWeld:

I'm surprised Rusty is so willing to accept Bush's deafeat in N. Korea. I mean this is exactly the sort of policy that could have been taken with Iraq, but acccording to Rusty that would have been treasonious.

By his own terms, this is a "cut and run" policy.

Posted by SpotWeld | June 26, 2008 9:33 AM

mr albany:

Oh no!!! We how is Team America 2 gonna be made now?

Posted by mr albany | June 26, 2008 9:38 AM

Terrapinion:

Rustydog - I do not understand your comments. This apparent victory of diplomacy over militarism is a striking endorsement of Obama's proposed foreign policy. Add to this the fact that the United States has begun cross-border actions into Pakistan - something that Obama promised to do in the debates - and you have a situation where Bush is taking his cues from the Obama campaign.

Finally, your attempt to portray Obama as anything other than a Christian is a clumsy and stupid. Why do you persist in your ignorance? Do you not understand that reality is exactly opposite of what you are saying?

Posted by Terrapinion | June 26, 2008 9:49 AM

James, Los Angeles:

Yes, congratulations to Chris Hill and his team. A masterful job of diplomacy. This is a major defeat for the Cheney/Bolton crazies, and a big step forward in the potential disarming of North Korea. So this step will remove NK from the Trading with the Enemy list, with removal from State Sponsor of Terror potentially in 45 days. So that's encouraging.

Buuuuuut. Big but.

North Korea isn't declaring anything about the location nor the number of existing nuclear weapons or their proliferation activities. This declaration only pertains to their *domestic programs.* Not their activities, which may or may not have included, or includes, sales of weapons or materials to Syria or others.

So now we are back to the Clinton-era status quo ante, which was abandoned by Bush back in 2001. Nice.

It's a step. Not quite the major end-all be-all victory that the bushies are wishing it were.

Posted by James, Los Angeles | June 26, 2008 9:55 AM

Paul Dirks

Rustydog - I do not understand your comments.

That OK, Rustydog doesn't understand his comments either.

He's sorta like the proverbial roomful of monkeys with typewriters except with Fox news blaring in the background......

Posted by Paul Dirks | June 26, 2008 9:59 AM

Harry:

Elvis, you're my hero. Great link.

And you know, I think John Bolton looks like a peanut.

On-topic, this is excellent news. I certainly don't suppose that Kim Jong Il will be opening the borders, releasing his vice-grip on the country, and allowing his people to breathe the free air once again (apologies to Tolkien). But it's a step.

Posted by Harry | June 26, 2008 10:24 AM

James, Los Angeles:

Here's an excellent wrap-up of the progress so far:

///
Bush warily welcomes NKorea move, eases sanctions
by Olivier Knox

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush warily welcomed North Korea's nuclear accounting on Thursday, easing trade sanctions and moving to take the "axis of evil" nation off a US terrorism blacklist.

Bush stressed that his gesture would only barely dent global pressure over the secretive communist country's atomic ambitions and warned it must still come clean on its arsenal and its role in spreading nuclear know-how overseas.
///

There's more....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080626/pl_afp/usnkoreanuclearweapons_080626135831

Posted by James, Los Angeles | June 26, 2008 10:39 AM

wagonjak:

I thought Bush's position was that he doesn't negotiate with Terrorists!

As N Korea is one of the evil countries in the "Axis of Evil", and clearly a state sponsor of terror, our Government shouldn't have been talking to these "Evildoers"!

Only "naive" politicians like Obama negotiate with terrorists according to Bush and McCain...

Do these two see the disconnect between their words and their actions here?

I doubt it!

Posted by wagonjak | June 26, 2008 12:09 PM

Chris:

So N Korea shows progress under talks and no one else the Bush Administration is pissed at is capitulating to his "give us what we want THEN we'll talk strategy." I wonder how the Republicans and McCain will try to spin this.

Posted by Chris | June 26, 2008 12:12 PM

Swampatriot:

Apparently the North Koreans still didn't include any info on their uranium enrichment either, so essentially in the last 7 months since the original deadline there's very little of note that's changed. Except that the election is 7 months closer, so Bush can't admit that he's been had.

Posted by Swampatriot | June 26, 2008 12:19 PM

Cliff:

Wonder what John Bolton is thinking this morning?

From John Bolton's journal, 6-26-08:
"Jesus F***ing Christ do I have an awesome mustache. Let's go nuke some sonsab*tches."

Posted by Cliff | June 26, 2008 12:47 PM

grape_crush:

JK: Wonder what John Bolton is thinking this morning?

"What can I do to mess this up?"

Posted by grape_crush | June 26, 2008 1:21 PM

FlownOver:

Exceedingly well played, Elvis. Awesome link.

Posted by FlownOver | June 26, 2008 1:34 PM

FlownOver:

"Learn-on-the-job Obama?" Beats the hell out of Learning-Disability Dubya.

As Ronnie White puts it, "You can't fix stupid."

Posted by FlownOver | June 26, 2008 1:37 PM

FlownOver:

Shorter McCain:

We'll just blow the s**t out of anything else we aren't sure about.

Posted by FlownOver | June 26, 2008 1:39 PM

Steve in Sacto

Q: "Wonder what John Bolton is thinking this morning?"

A: "Well, there goes Czechoslovakia..."

(Because Talking = Appeasement = Giving away Czechoslovakia. It's axiomatic...)

Posted by Steve in Sacto | June 26, 2008 2:00 PM

Paul Dirks

McCain's statement is straight out of the textbook of trying to please everyone.

He knows that about this reaction:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0608/House_Republicans_blast_Bush_for_North_Korea_decision.html

so he knows he can't be as gracious as he would if he were honest.

Reminds me of the joke about the three stataticians on a hunting trip....

Posted by Paul Dirks | June 26, 2008 2:58 PM

FlownOver:

Query:

Can you have an Axis with only one adversary nation left? The Bushies better get together a list of nominees to fill the vacancies.

I suggest Belgium and Texas. No reason – just trying to start a discussion we've put off far too long.

Posted by FlownOver | June 26, 2008 6:38 PM

Malcolm:

FlownOver,
Damn, if it weren't for Sarkozy's election we could have added France without hesitation. Let's put them in the New Axis of Evil anyway.

Posted by Malcolm | June 26, 2008 8:51 PM

HopefulEmoticon:

I'm reading a great book on the Korean peninsula entitled The Two Koreas. Only current to about 2000, but fascinating stuff

Posted by HopefulEmoticon | June 26, 2008 10:32 PM

BrooklynGurl:

Eritrea should be added to the axis. Why? Most people don't know where it is (it would make people look at their globes), it could be taken over in a matter of hours (so the next president could claim victory in a quick war again) and it is a country with a government that has undisputed ties to al-Qaida and has actively aided in training terrorists (which actually gives legitimate reason to add it to the list).

Posted by BrooklynGurl | June 27, 2008 6:34 PM

Malcolm:

BrooklynGurl,
I don't think anyone would want to be invading a country so close to Somalia. Ethiopia has found that crushing Eritrea is harder than it looks, too.

Posted by Malcolm | June 28, 2008 3:53 AM

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