North Korea Takes Notice

bash · Post by **bash** » Tue May 04, 2004 8:37 am

North Korea, probably the world's most secretive and isolated nation, has offered an olive branch to the US by promising never to sell nuclear materials to terrorists, calling for Washington's friendship and saying it does not want to suffer the fate of Iraq.

linkified by Lothar

Testiculese · Post by **Testiculese** » Tue May 04, 2004 8:43 am

Which probably means they'll just do it behind our backs (and probably paint a US logo on the weapons they DO sell to them). IF we can't even believe our own crimin..politicians, how're we supposed to believe them?

This is kinda odd:

He reports that the North Koreans firmly rejected the idea of immediately dismantling their nuclear programmes, insisted on a phased process with concessions on each side, and threw no light on how far they had developed weapons or how their actions could be verified.

They want concessions from us? In the form of nuclear arms dismantling? That strikes me as odd (if that's the case). We've been reducing our arsenal over the past years, and NK is in no danger of getting nuked by us anyway. Sounds like NK thinks it's britches are as big as ours and can 'make demands'. When did they get that idea? Isn't that country (roughly) about the size of Pennsylvania? I get the imagry of a 7yo coming up to a 20yo, both holding about the same size stick.

Birdseye · Post by **Birdseye** » Tue May 04, 2004 11:49 am

"We've been reducing our arsenal over the past years"

I can't remember the details, but I remember something about Bush breaking some sort of long standing nuclear agreement. Anyone remember what I am referring to?

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Tue May 04, 2004 12:56 pm

has offered an olive branch to the US by promising never to sell nuclear materials to terrorists, calling for Washington's friendship and saying it does not want to suffer the fate of Iraq.

From the quote, it looks like NK offered this olive branch because it doesn't want to "suffer the fate of Iraq." But the article states that NK was developing nuclear weapons so that it wouldn't "suffer the fate of Iraq."

Mr Kim rejected the notion that North Korea would never give up nuclear weapons. He argued that Pyongyang - branded by Mr Bush as part of the "axis of evil" - was developing nuclear weapons purely to deter a US attack. "We don't want to suffer the fate of Iraq," he told Mr Harrison.

bash · Post by **bash** » Tue May 04, 2004 1:07 pm

Considering the nuclear program was started decades before there was an *Iraq*, it would appear he's looking for a de facto excuse and hoping no one calls him on the timeline. NK knows what PR buttons to push to reinforce the propoganda that Iraq has contributed to destabilization. It will be believed by some, but others will pay more attention to which came first.

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Tue May 04, 2004 2:40 pm

And some would see being called out into a group of three "evil" nations, where one has been invaded and overthrown, as legitimization of, or even a prolonged extension of, a motivation to build a greater nuclear deterrance rather than just a useful PR opportunity.

But I digress. My issue here is with the articles seeming bait-n-switch first paragraph.

Birdseye · Post by **Birdseye** » Tue May 04, 2004 6:14 pm

I'd have to agree that if I was NK and I was called an axis of evil by the world's most powerful nation, I'd be building and keeping nuclear weapons to. Not that they weren't making them before, but W's smooth diplomacy isn't helping.

I also see vander's point.

Interesting quote:
"Paik Nam-soon, foreign minister, denounced al-Qaeda and other terrorists and said George W. Bush, US president, was using the shock of the September 11 attacks to turn Americans against North Korea. But he said: " The truth is that we want and need your friendship.""

I hope he is being honest, and that we take advantage of this.

Lothar · Post by **Lothar** » Tue May 04, 2004 6:48 pm

So Birdseye, whose "smooth diplomacy" would have helped?

Will Robinson · Post by **Will Robinson** » Tue May 04, 2004 6:51 pm

He blew similar smoke up Clintons rear end, promising all sorts of cooperation if Clinton would deliver.
When Clinton delivered, in spades even, they didn't even slow down their nuke building, when confronted with it their ambassador just smiled and basically said 'Yea, we lied.'

I think it was Charles de Gaulle who said "Nations don't have friends, they have interests". I'm not sure how N.K. thinks this will serve their interests but I know it would take a real numnutz to get all warm and fuzzy over anything that whacko promised.

'Axis of evil' may not be very diplomatic but it was very effective at sending a blunt message.
We texans are good at straight shootin' plain talk

Hostile · Post by **Hostile** » Tue May 04, 2004 7:27 pm

Birdy, I think you are referring to the ABM treaty. The United States (legally according to the treaty) pulled out of it.

Ferno · Post by **Ferno** » Wed May 05, 2004 12:37 am

Birds, are you referring to the nuclear nonproliferation act?

bash · Post by **bash** » Wed May 05, 2004 5:21 am

SALT II

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Wed May 05, 2004 5:58 am

Coitus interruptus