By Here is something that I can agree with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on:
The United States has no plans to provide North Korea with economic aid until it stops threatening to conduct further nuclear and missile tests and returns to the six-party talks, said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“We have absolutely no interest and no willingness on the part of this administration to give them any economic aid at all,” Clinton said yesterday, Korean time, at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “We are very serious about trying to make it clear to the North Koreans that their recent behavior is absolutely unacceptable.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]
But then again what else would you expect her to say? It isn’t like the Obama administration would just give the North Koreans free money out of the blue. Clinton needs the Six Party Talks to justify the pay off to keep the North Koreans quiet for a while and the bribe money has already been allocated:
Clinton said a budget of nearly $100 million for future U.S. aid to North Korea has been set aside in case North Korea decided to return to the six-party nuclear disarmament talks.
I am actually not opposed to the Six Party Talks because it provides the North Koreans with a face saving exit strategy if the United States government ever puts together their own coherent strategy to put pressure on North Korea. However, the way it looks now the North Koreans will eventually return to the talks and probably work out an Agreed Framework 3.0 that will be declared a foreign policy success which will ultimately end up as a failure like the last two. That is unless the US government plans on taking on a different strategy, which all signs so far is they are not.
12:55 pm on May 3rd, 2009 1
$100 million dollars if North Korea just rejoins the talks? Kim, is probobly telling his diplomats to hold out for a 1/2 billion, then they will return. Not much risk there.
North Korea will go down in history as the country that milked the US for the greatest amount of money for never doing anything.
4:16 pm on May 26th, 2009 2
gerry do u really think so? im using this website as a reference for a political science simulation for school. i think your comment poses a really good question. what are the intentions of north korea……? tons of cash!?
1:56 am on May 27th, 2009 3
My comment reflects my own cynicism toward the North Korean dictatorship. "Do I really think so?". I have no inside information or way of knowing. My cynicism is based on previous behavior from the North. Of which they have demonstrated over and over again their willingness to trade treaties and promises for food and fuel, only to break those promises as soon as deemed appropriate. The world (and the US) have been caught in this ethical delema of seeking peace and a better North Korea, while Kim Jong Il and his cohorts use these overtures for self perpetuation at the cost of the North Korean people. Sort of like having the mafia in charge of government.
"What are the intentions of the North? Tons of cash?" I think the North will continue to do what has worked for them in the past. Cash, food shipments, fuel oil, whatever they can get, to continue the dictatorship. So yes, they will hold out for more if they believe they can get it.