Posted on 02/07/2008 11:09:18 PM PST by americanophile
A few weeks ago, I wrote slightly disobligingly about Jay Lefkowitz, the man who holds the new congressionally mandated post of U.S. special envoy for human rights in North Korea. The North Korean state does not recognize the concept of human rights and considers every one of its citizens to be the property of the ruling family, so Lefkowitz’s job is admittedly an extremely difficult one, but I tried to call attention to the way in which he (in his rather slender annual report to Congress), and the administration in general, had gone somewhat quiet on the subject of North Korea’s famine-stricken slave society, all the while involving themselves in “constructive engagement” with “dear leader” Kim Jong-il on the question of nuclear facilities.
I like to imagine that my little essay stung Lefkowitz a bit. At any event, he got up on his hind legs at the American Enterprise Institute in the third week of January and made an explicit criticism of the Bush administration that he serves. The State Department’s insistence on “diplomacy,” he argued, had yielded nothing but another round of stalling and obfuscation from Pyongyang on the weapons issue. It was time, he concluded, that the United States “should consider a new approach.”
This brought the U.S. Secretary of State into a fine pitch of indignation. “He’s the human rights envoy” Condoleezza Rice shot back. “That’s what he knows. That’s what he does … And he certainly has no say in what American policy will be in the six-party talks [on North Korea’s nuclear program].”
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
So what do you suggest we do? Invade?
Because short of that NOTHING the US President does will feed ONE starving NK citizen.
Easy to talk tough about “Doing something” not so easy to actually DO it.
Wierd. I actually did search. My bad.
Our State Department is seemingly beyond salvation.
From what I have seen over here (and it is a lot) it is almost as if they function as an "enemy of the state".
ping
Hitchens is a professional contrarian, an ersatz Kittey Kelly or Julie Burchill. He doesn’t give a fig for those suffering in North Korea. To him, they’re just a vehicle for another few column inches of venom.
You know, if I were Lefkowitz, I'd demand a personal meeting with both prissy little Condi and Bush so that I could tell her to her face to STFU and then tell him that he can take this job and shove it!
It’s a good article. Makes one think about the present US policy towards Iran. If Iran gets nukes, will there be another “six-party talks” while Iran gives nukes to all of the worst people?
It is time we departed the Korean penninsula.
We are in the way of the two Koreas, North and South, finding a solution to their mutual differences.
South Korea, in the past fifty years, has become an economic power in Asia. They could take on and beat the crap out of a poor North Korea, which has been starving under the tyranny of stupidity brought upon it by the Jong-ils. They must solve their problems without us. We, by our presence, provide a distraction that the North uses to browbeat the South with at their infrequent attempts of reconciliation. Our departure will leave no excuses for the North to exploit.
We depart and the negotiations begin. This will be a good time to leave, as China is preoccupied with the Olympics. I can’t imagine their going to war on the Korean penninsula during the high-profile attention the Olympics will bring down upon them! And the Chinese will finally have peace at their back door.
A good article, and even if posted before, warrants posting again if only to highlight the fact that George W. Bush has sold out the North Korean people with his Clintonesque approach to Kim Jong Il, absolutely no different than that of Maddy the Dancing Midget and the Buffoon from Plains, your traitor and mine, Jimmah Carter.
Jay Lefkowitz dared to speak the truth, and apparently the legions of BushBots still roaming the political landscape “can’t handle the truth.”
The only difference between the current female SecState and the last female SecState is that the current occupant plays the piano, and has better fashion sense.
Otherwise, it’s ‘patronizing and indulging’ tyrants as usual.
The North Korean people are no doubt grateful to get a glimpse of the GWB Legacyville Express as it goes roaring down the rails.
Over their bodies.
Agreed my FRiend, you are absolutely correct.
I’ll tell ya what we should do. Stop supplementing the North Korean food harvest and power needs.
When we find them counterfiting our currency make a damn effort to stop it.
When we see them sending arms like nuke making stuff to other countries stop them at sea. Check every ship going to and from the contry.
Lastly put pressure on the Chi-coms to stop their support. Or else disallow the commies from exporting their crap here til they do.
In other words, quit playing nice, quit kissing their backsides, and quit subsidizing them as any subsidy directly helps the military there.
But hey why not just continue like this and past administrations and keep sending them aid in one form or another as that seems to be working so well.
For a long time I resisted sentiments like this as isolationisnt, but lately I see the point. Why are we still there? Why are we still in Germany? I know we have global responsibilities, but can we afford to be on a permanent international war footing, protecting people who don’t want us there. I don’t know...it’s a debate I’m having with myself.
Yes, I agree with you about it seeming to appear almost isolationist in spirit. In the case of Germany and Korea, I’m beginning to suspect that we’ve become part of those region’s dysfunctional processes and there are other places, like Afghanistan and Pakistan where we have immediate, pressing concerns.
We have a base in the Indian Ocean reachable by air and sea that is closer to those nations than any base in Germany. In addition there is growing Chinese influence and Saudi Arab Wahabbism spreading in Africa, which ought to greatly concern us.
Piracy is an increasing problem and it would benefit us as a global power to unite with other maritime nations to wipe out piracy for good everywhere it exists in the world today. We shouldn’t go it alone and must work with partners around the world, but having the most powerful Navy in the world would definitely facilitate that goal.
This is not exactly an isolationist’s agenda, just a shifting of priorities as the global political scene evolves.
Too true! I recall that rumors of certain base closures in Germany were met with loud protests from Germans who depend upon the economy generated by having a large American base nearby. Why continue to defend a socialist Europe against an impotent Red Army of a Soviet Union that no longer exists? Why tax Americans to pay for European socialism which can only exist in the artificial defense-budget-free zone we've created? Why spend billions on a NATO this is burden by their relatively modest duties in Afghanistan? I think these are questions worth asking.
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