Joho the Blog: The price of principle

October 11, 2006

The price of principle

So, now we see how well the Bush policy on North Korea has worked out. The world is a step-function more insecure, not only because North Korea is a nuclear-tipped loonocracy, but because it well may decide to arm stateless groups that cannot be deterred from nuking us.

Nice going, George.

This is the price you pay for being a stubborn jackass, um, I mean, standing by principles. The principle of not negotiating with bad guys has a pragmatic justification: Negotiating encourages others to adopt bad guy tactics. But, that means the no-negotiating principle is really dependent on the practicalities. Instead, Bush has been overpowered by its macho sound. When it comes to near-nuclear powers who have been begging for direct talks, standing by the principle as if it were an 11th Commandment, and refusing to recognize differences in different cases—"I don't do nuance"—results in criminally stupid policies.

And now our cities are at risk because of it.

What a miserable failure this presidency has been. [Tags: north_korea george_bush politics]

Posted by D. Weinberger at October 11, 2006 12:45 PM

Comments

Let's review. Clinton tried active engagement. That failed; it became clear in 2000 that N.K. was violating the agreement. Bush tried to set up multi-lateral talks (a thing which would have been good in Iraq, but is somehow bad here), and those failed.

So diplomatic carrots failed. Likewise, diplomatic sticks failed. War is a policy no one wants in Korea, given the artillery N.K. has, and the proximity of Seoul (never mind nukes; millions of South Koreans would die in the initial attack by N.K.).

This leaves us with one possible pressure point - China - the country that keeps N.K. afloat. Gee, it's one of the nations we have been talking to quite a bit in those multi-lateral talks. The problem has been that until now, China has been unwilling to pressure N.K. That might change now, given the potential reaction of other nations in the region (like, say, Japan).

What you fail to recognize is that we have no good options with Korea. Josh Marshall is simply wrong; the Clinton policy was every bit as much of a failure as the Bush policy, and for exactly the same reason - China did not help. Without Chinese help, there will be no solution here.

It's easy to throw rocks, and you and Marshall seem adept at it. Actually thinking through the last few decades of N.K policy - neither of you have done that work.

Posted by: James Robertson | October 11, 2006 01:40 PM

James' point about thinking through the policy towards North Korea makes sense. It is a point that our news media fails miserably on, largely because it would require a sense of history which our media and our government seem to lack about Korea. Do you think George Bush knows we are in a state of war with North Korea? I'll bet he doesn't.

Yet, we are in a state of war with North Korea, officially and in their eyes. All we have with them is a cease-fire agreement from the "Korean Conflict." We never signed a peace treaty for that war, and we never left as we did in Vietnam. So, why shouldn't they be a bit paranoid about our intentions? I'd like to hear a rational answer to that question.

I don't like the fact that they have a nuclear weapon any more than anyone else. But, neither this administration nor any that came before it have approached North Korea realistically. If you are officially in a state of war with a country the only way to get out of a state of war is to agree to terms for peace.

The North Koreans request a non-agression pact from our government and our government acts like, "Who me? What makes you think I would attack you? I know I've got 35,000 plus troops on your border and some tactical nukes but you must know we don't plan on attacking you." The U.S. has played this tune for fifty years. Aside from the domino theory of communism, proved patently wrong by Vietnam, I've never understood why we care about either Korea.

Posted by: Larry Irons | October 11, 2006 03:29 PM

Are we in a state of war? I thought it was a "police action," and we never declared war.

Yes, I realize that this is a detail in your overall msg.

Posted by: David Weinberger | October 11, 2006 03:37 PM

David, I think your question makes my overall point.

Was Vietnam a war? We never "declared" war there either. It is a distinction without a distinction. We have a cease-fire agreement with North Korea. Consider the top Wikipedia entry when you search on Korean conflict.

"The Korean War, conducted from June 25, 1950 to a cease-fire on July 27, 1953 was a war between North Korea and South Korea (technically, the Koreas remain at war)." And, no, it isn't my entry.

Posted by: Larry Irons | October 11, 2006 03:48 PM

And I read this blog for the president Bush diatribe? Since were expressing personal opinions, my opinion is thank god for president Bush, the U.S. has too many weenies.

Posted by: Paul Cox | October 11, 2006 04:18 PM

Leaving aside whose failure was more abject, or why any sober adult would tell a potential enemy that he was a flat-footed, knock-kneed, member of an axis of evil, Robert Kaplan of "The Atlantic" has an interesting take on current North Korean obstreperousness -- it's to get the US to save Pyongyang from the Chinese. See http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200610/kaplan-korea

Posted by: johne | October 11, 2006 05:02 PM

Well... the glass is half full. The impoverished dictator and his ill trained engineers lit the fuse on a bomb of low enough yield that the experts aren't sure it was "atomic." So test it they did, and they flunked.

Posted by: fp | October 11, 2006 08:31 PM

johne...thanks for the link...a detailed, informative read

Posted by: Larry Irons | October 11, 2006 08:37 PM

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