Notice what has happened with the Korean dispute. It was suppose to be about their secret uranium processing. But do to bad politics, the dispute shifted, instead, to nuclear rods that contain plutonium. What should have been addressed up front has instead become a secondary issue.
Refering to Undertoad's timeline:
Quote:
|
October 3-5, 2002: James Kelly, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, confronts Pyongyang with U.S. evidence of a covert uranium enrichment programme.
|
What contigencies did the US plan for various N Korean responses. Apparently nothing. Terminating all diplomatic contacts appears to be only a knee jerk US reaction. The US had every oppurtunity to plan and maintain a diplomatic initative. But US negotiators apparently wasted that initative. They had no game plan beyond challenging the N Koreans with information. What kind of planning is that other than knee jerk diplomacy?
In the meantime, N Koreans 1) have successfully diverted attention to another issue - plutonium, AND 2) stated exactly why they starting a nuclear progam and 3) what it would take to terminate the program. N Korea's major fear is a US invasion. They want a non-agression treaty which should be no problem if the US does not intend to invade. If #3 is a bluff, well the US did not even call them on it. Instead of calling the bluff, the US terminated all negotiations. That only says to N Korean extremists that the US now intents to attack in the near future.
The US had no game plan behind James Kelly's challenge? As a result, the most imporant issue - uranium reprocessing - is no longer the primary issue. As a result, S Korea, who is not a target of N Korea's distrust, has offered to act as arbitrator between the two disputing parties - N Korea and US. S Korean president said both side must make concessions. Ironic that two nations most threatened by a nuclear N Korea are instead neutral parties in this dispute.
Rumors also suggest that neither Japan nor S Korea was even consulted before Kelly challenged the N Koreans. It all stinks of bad US diplomacy that even surrendered the diplomatic initative to the N Koreans. The US did not even have contingency plans for N Korean responese? Why not? This entire dispute has been badly mismanaged by the US as if the US had no idea what to do after Kelly challenged the N Koreans.