North Korea; Iran
Also, the North Koreans seem to have gotten a workable deal from their negotiations-- including, centrally, a security guarantee from the US. Why don't the Bushies give a similar guarantee to Iran?
Very "simple" Helena.... As you know, North Korea is not deemed an "existential threat" by a certain tail that wags the dog here in USA politics..... That "lobby" no doubt will be energized to shoot down any and all such suggestions.... No?
Ah, Escott, I can already hear the thundering hoofs of the response to your comment here ... wait, here they come .... 10,9,8...
Yes, yes. Most definitely the tail wagging the dog. Here's another example pointed out by a great American hero:
"But I am saying that the leaders of both the British and Jewish races, for reasons which are understandable from their viewpoint as they are inadvisable from ours, for reasons which are not American, wish to involve us in the war. We cannot blame them for looking out for what they believe to be their own interests, but we also must look out for ours. We cannot allow the natural passions and prejudices of other people to lead our country to destruction."
Charles A. Lindbergh, from a speech delivered in Des Moines, Iowa, September 11, 1941
(Note the date of the speech, which makes the statement particularly telling on two accounts!)
I am really glad the North Korean case is making a good turn. I always thought that North Koreans are really after food for their population and energy to keep the lights on. I sense no religious or ideological drive that must put them on a collision course with the West.
As for the Iranians, they have plenty of food on their tables, energy under the ground, and it is all about their ideology, their pride, and the sickness of their extremist faith. I am glad we can remove the Korean distraction to focus on Iran, I am glad we are on the same boat with the Europeans so we don't have to argue with the De Villepins other than about their ugly hairdos, and I am glad because today I woke up glad and want to share it with all my friends on this board especially Dominic who's sense of humor I enjoy every day like a good cup of expresso.
David
Hi David, Hi all. Likewise, I'm sure.
I'm looking at a page from the Scotsman, headlined "North Korea reneges on nuclear vow", and further down it says 'spokesman for the US State Department, said: "This was obviously not the agreement they signed and we will see what the coming weeks bring."'
Well, what I know about negotiations may not be everything but a couple of things spring to mind. The first is that I'm sure the USA has not "signed" anything, and so the DPRK hasn't, either. Nor is this kind of business done in terms of "vows".
The second thing is directly related but on a more general note. In negotiation, it is a great advantage to be in control of the public communiques, and to be able to deny the other party that facility. The USA is making the announcements for both sides. They will do, if only because they can. The Western journalists have no contacts in the DPRK that I have ever noticed.
But we ought to know better. When the first sweet announcement comes out we ought to know it is about to be contradicted by the DPRK, because they did not make that sweet announcement. We ought to know that it is only put out to wrong-foot the other side so that their contradiction can be spun as betrayal, or flip-flop, or whatever the yanks want to call it. We should be able to see all this without being told.
From the US point of view this game-playing is not a great deal of use because the DPRK doesn't care an awful lot about what the stupid western media is saying. This is not Yasser Arafat that the US is dealing with and they have not got the Koreans locked up in Camp David. Bullying the Koreans is a waste of time. Bullying Yasser Arafat was also a waste of time, as it happens. Bullying is just plain stupid.