On Friday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) finally agreed on a resolution apropos sanctions on North Korea for its recent defiance and violation of international law. On Saturday, UNSC Resolution 1718 passed unanimously. This indubitably demonstrates that rogue nations seeking nuclear technology for armaments are a threat to peace everywhere. The world community has spoken.
Still, several Democrats in the United States, and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, obtusely suggested that President George W. Bush have bilateral talks with North Korea’s Communist dictator Kim Jong Il. The Bush Administration appropriately maintains its steadfast position not to engage in direct talks with North Korea. The admin-istration’s stance was further substantiated after North Korea conducted – or staged – its recent nuclear weapons test.
So why are Democrats and Annan imperceptive about North Korea? Their recommendations on dealing with Kim are wrong for various reasons, three of which follow.
First, the United States already attempted bilateral talks with North Korea during Bill Clinton’s administration; the two-way talks were unsuccessful. In 1994, North Korea pledged to freeze and dismantle its nuclear weapons program. Kim walked away from the agreement while North Korea was still a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Then, he expelled U.N. inspectors and recommenced his nuclear technology program. Two-way talks were ineffective in the ’90s, and President Bush recognizes that. Therefore, his rejection of Kim’s, Annan’s and Democrats’ desire for bilateral communication is prudent. Besides, Democrats hate when the United States acts unilaterally on international issues. Evidently, their intrinsic hypocrisy is in full throttle regarding North Korea.
Second, the Bush Administration was communicating with North Korea in conjunction with four other nations from 2003 to 2005. Communist dictator Kim abandoned the six-way discussions, proving that he refuses to collaborate diplomatically. President Bush has repeatedly stated that diplomacy is available to Kim if he will agree to participate in six-way talks, even as the UNSC was drafting the sanctions resolution last week. Due to North Korea’s proximity to Japan and its share of borders with China, Russia and South Korea, Kim should return to a six-nation forum. Additionally, the United States will not determine geopolitics or govern its effects for four of its allies.
Third, the Bush administration is not comprised of appeasers ready to acquiesce to international scofflaws or their threats. Kim’s response to President Bush’s sound decision of refusing to engage in two-way talks involved conducting a nuclear test. If it was a staged act, Kim exacerbated North Korea’s isolation by inducing world-sponsored punitive measures beyond those already in effect. If the test was authentic, Democrats must desist insisting that President Bush act unilaterally. Instead, they should excoriate the communist dictator for contributing to global warming.
A final thought: Kim Jong Il’s population control policy entails the utilization of famine. The national protocol requires food deprivation for citizens not serving in, or without family in, the North Korean military. If you consider that morally repugnant, vote for a Republican president next month. Democrats would rather reward this diabolical dictator with one-on-one talks.
Mike Pascale Jr. is a senior political science major, a weekly columnist and a copy editor for the Daily Forty-Niner.
