George W. Bush and North Korea

The recent diplomatic gains in relations with North Korea (DPRK) are being quietly heralded as a victory of the foreign policy of this Administration. But, again, as with everything coming from the White House in the last nearly eight years, the American people should be aware that this White House is run by liars. What truth has come from this Administration? Iraq, oil, national security, the environment, the economy? And, now, in the closing days of the Bush administration, we see this coming from the Oval Office when it could and should have been done long ago.

North Korea, for many reasons, has been willing to come to the bargaining tables over its nuclear program for most of this Administration’s tenure. North Korea has become, as a consequence of its long-running intractability on diplomatic issues and unending calls for aid, a pariah, shunned even by its historic sponsor, China. Through poor management, North Korea has led its people through an almost continuous regime of near-famine, alleviated only by food assistance from other nations, most particularly those currently engaged in the negotiations. North Korea’s economy and technology both have lagged tremendously in its attempts to compete on a world market that is mostly closed to them.

As a consequence of isolation and the resultant hardship, North Korea has long sought talks on disarmament, but needed the ability to save face in the eyes of its people, and, to an extent, the world. The Bush administration has heretofore consistently refused such diplomatic concessions and sought instead to pursue a policy of provocation. Only in the last couple of years has the White House pursued a more relaxed approach, forcing the timing of the negotiations to coincide with this Administration’s close. Do they hope to somehow be remembered, as Ronald Reagan is, for finally breaking a long-standing political and ideological deadlock and bring about the end of Communism in North Korea? If so, it would be advised that Bush and company realize that North Korea, and its consequences, is tiny in relation to the world-and-history-changing progress Reagan effected with the Soviet Union. One must also remember that the U.S. is not the sole actor in these negotiations. China, Japan, South Korea (ROK) and Russia have all been at the tables more consistently, effectively and enthusiastically than the U.S. In fact, this administration, in labeling North Korea a member of the “Axis of Terror” and a state sponsor of terrorist organizations, did much to delay these current talks.

It seems to this writer that the Administration has sought to leave office with at least one credit to its legacy, and even that one is tainted by apparent deception. And now too, the Bush White House wants to get on board with talking with Iran about their uranium enrichment program. All of a sudden, this White House is taking the advice of Barack Obama?

So many deceptions, so little time left to make a positive impression.

The White House is now embracing diplomatic moves across a wide range of fronts that closely resemble the announcements of Democratic candidate Barack Obama’s intentions for improving foreign policy and opening talks where the Republican White House has long refused. This shift also seems to undermine Republican candidate John McCain’s own assertions that he would refuse to deal with these “terrorists” and “thugs”. It seems that Bush has decided, regardless of the cost, to polish the image of his presidency in its waning days. Perhaps the intention is to give Republican candidates for lower offices a chance to recover from a negative international party image and avert the disaster that appears to await them this fall. It is hard to believe that, in the final days of office, the Bush administration has finally figured it out. It is equally hard to believe that the Administration is seeking to ease the international diplomatic path for whomever their successors might be. In any event, it must be remembered that this better news on the foreign relations front comes from the Obama playbook, not the Republicans’.