Navigation
User login
Quote
Following footsteps of Bush N. Korea withdraws from Nuclear treaty
I have been concerned about the status of international relations and especially treaties since George W. Bush came on the scene proclaiming that he didnt particularly need to pay attention to those that were not "good" in his opinion.
When a treaty is ratified and signed, it is supposed to be honored by all nations involved. Those that either overtly or covertly do not honor treaties they sign are viewed throughout the world as untrustworthy, and rightly so. Trust is earned on the world stage just as it is in everyday relationships. Even when you dont agree with every provision of a treaty that is ALREADY IN PLACE you abide by it, or work within its means with the other nations involved to get it amended. You NEVER abandon it and leave the other nations flailing and asking WTF?
Formal treaties that the Bush administration has flat out pissed on and decried they are no longer participants as the treaties were ratified include:
- the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
- the Biological Weapons Convention
- the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
And the administration has also derailed many other agreements that were in process, and AGREED upon, but not ratified or signed including the Kyoto Protocol an strategic arms reductions with Russia.
Recently North Korea has announced is is withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The US and other nations are outraged. And, this IS a very concerning move. However, how is this move ANY different than the aforementioned US moves? The US is only proving that it is a hypocritical and arrogant state. While the US likes to think of itself as the great holier than thou protector and righteous one that is often, as now, not at all the case.
I am a US citizen and I for one (admittedly maybe the only one) am outraged at the actions of the US. The actions of the US have directly led to the crisis in North Korea. Yes, North Korea is a bad place run by a man with serious issues and it presents a real security threat, but all of this could have been dealt with in an entirely different manner. The standoffish bully attitude of the US administration coupled with recent past actions such as invalidating treaties and calling other nations names (axis of evil again) has not helped.
The world is a complicated and dangerous place. Sometimes military action and an unwavering stance is going to be required, that is not in dispute. What is the end game and how to get there is the dispute. In setting an example for the rest of the world that agreements and treaties are not important and then threatening military action at every turn when other actions could have avoided conflict has the US made the world a safer place?
For more on treaty flap see the linked BBC article . Viewpoint: N Korea follows Bushs lead
TotSP Search
Community
Chatter
- Thanks
17 hours 35 min ago - Extremely annoying
1 day 20 hours ago - Actually, it's worse than I
1 week 1 day ago - That's the CODEHAUS maven
1 week 2 days ago - New Error
1 week 2 days ago - Very Nice
1 week 3 days ago - That spider drawing is
1 week 4 days ago - I am a huge Java developer
2 weeks 5 days ago - Its coooooooool.. Java
2 weeks 5 days ago - Perfect!
2 weeks 6 days ago
Comments
Re: Following footsteps of Bush N. Korea withdraws from Nuclear
"The actions of the US have directly led to the crisis in North Korea."
Horseshit.
Re: Following footsteps of Bush N. Korea withdraws from Nuclear
It does seem that a significant part of this current crisis is due to the U.S.'s failing to live up to the agreements signed in the recent past. Whether or not N. Korea would have violated these agreements irregardless of the U.S. honoring the agreement is up for debate. The current spin all these 'rogue' nations are putting out essentially comes down to a fear of being attacked by the U.S. It distresses me that these countries fear being 'unjustly' attacked by my country. When I was growing up during the cold war it seemed that the U.S. was the only country that could stand up to the agressively expansive regime of the Soviet Union. We were making a noble stand for world freedom and independence. Now that we are the only true 'world power' it seems other countries are fearing the agressive U.S. tendencies.
I think the current U.S. foreign policy is currently nothing short of a disaster. It is alarming that we have a steadily worsening relationship with Mexico and Canada, and several recent big tiffs with Germany. I am not sure why we have taken such an 'Us against the world' stance, but in the long run no good can come from that. but I digress...
back to N. Korea...
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these nations are not without blame, but can you honestly blame a N. Korea from developing nuclear weapons when they have been lumped in with Iraq as being part of an axis of evil? It seems to me our current stand on Iraq is - who cares what the rest of the world thinks.. we are going to invade and establish our own government. N. Korea would not be reaching to far to come to the conclusion that we might decide to start bombing them. What greater deterence than to have a stockpile of nuclear weapons?
Re: Following footsteps of Bush N. Korea withdraws from Nuclear
no, you are wrong. that statement is totally accurate.
dating back to Clinton days the US government has made many agreements with North Korea that it has not upheld. This dates back to YEARS prior to the announcement by North Korea that it had active nuclear programs that caused the Bush administration to hault all fuel oil and other aid.
This would not be the fault of the US at all if the US simply never got into any of those agreements which included promises of fuel oil, food, normalized relations and guarantees remaining a soverign country. I think those agreements were definitely a bit tenuous to begin with, but once we AGREED to it we then have drug our feet since.
The Clinton administration first made these agreements that many are now calling foolish. Whether or NOT they are or were foolish we NEVER lived up to any of them. The 1996 congress bailed on many of the agreements and we have never since caught up.
Now North Korea is saying piss off we will do it ourselves if the US wont do what it says it will do and its NOT our fault?
I think the state of the current crisis is TOTALLY our fault. No the fact that North Korea is starving and cold and half crazy with a nuclear capability is not our fault, but the current magnitude of the situation and the strained relations are entirely our fault.
Re: Following footsteps of Bush N. Korea withdraws from Nuclear
I agree with this take. If you think about this FROM the North Korean perspective. The US is actively invading or stating they are about to invade several other countries for the purpose of installing new governments. Then we call North Korea the "axis of evil" which even at the time was stated by them to be construed as VERY inflammatory and very provocative. Then when they say they are doing the SAME THINGS WE ALREADY DO in starting or maintaining a nuclear program (they have not admitted to weapons, but say its for power, last I heard, thats probably not true, but thats what they say) and bailing out of treaties we call foul and cut off the promised aid to them?
It does suck that this world has countries like North Korea that dont seem to value the lives of their own citizens, and it sucks that the world has nuclear weapons and bad people, but the world does have these things and we have to therfore deal with the other people in the world in a wise and reasoned and diplomatic manner, no matter whom has the bigger guns.
The Bush administration is putting on a CLINIC in how to _@!#$_ up foreign policy. Relations with not only our North American neighbors are strained, but Russia? China? All of the Arab nations? Now Asia? The only place left to trip over our own dicks is Iceland, and our military already protects that.