Commands and Handshakes

With so much at stake concerning our position in the world, the Bush administration has recently been forced to consider alternative methods when dealing with international adversaries. Over the last eight years the trend has been a shift away from direct talks with foreign nations and specifically governments deemed enemies. We went from negotiations to stand offs. We went from political differences with certain countries to labeling them evil and unworthy of discussion.

The currency of sanctions, talks and negotiations thus was traded for the threats and intimidation made by our current leadership. After the attacks of 9/11 it wasn't hard to convince our nation an extreme stance was the best option for dealing with dangerous foes. At that time the Bush administration attempted to order other nations to get in line with what they wanted or else. The “or else” meant the threat of warfare. But, did it work?

In Iraq the reality of preemptively invading nations before exhausting other options was made clear. Americans will fight for anything worthwhile and always have. What we discovered after having already gone in was there was no significant reason to have done so. No Iraqis planned to invade us or posed a threat. Since there was no one to go to war with and no serious foe this was more of a mistake than a war for which the current administration still has no answer. The surge has succeeded in making it less messy yes, but also more expensive for financially strapped American taxpayers.

We discovered that without a draft the number of soldiers needed for successful long term stabilization of one country while attempting the same in another one would be next to impossible. Thus, except in a last resort situation, war may not always be the most sensible course. In the end the Bush administration started doing what some in their own party and the entirety of the other party had been advocating for years. This meant more active diplomacy which has now stretched to include Iran. In the case of Iraq besides the surge, negotiations had to be employed and we ended up doling out payoffs to warlords and adversaries funded entirely by American taxpayers.

We’re now reevaluating hard line positions towards adversarial nations. North Korea is a clear example of this. Recently significant diplomatic gains were made when they agreed to cease their plutonium processing activity and get rid of their nuclear weapon. In return we agreed to remove them from the list of state sponsors of terrorism meaning trade sanctions will to be lifted upon verification of their part of the agreement.

Secretary of State Madeline Albright during the Clinton administration achieved significant gains towards an agreement with Pyongyang. When the Bush administration took office the opportunity was there for advancements but they missed the opportunity. After 9/11 the fear on the part of our citizenry of terrorist attacks was palpable. It was a chance for the administration to prove to us all they were true commanders capable of staying on course and not susceptible to fear based decisions.

They could have displayed strength and resolve by advancing the course towards reaching an accord with North Korea already started by the previous administration. This would have cut off dangerous international entities from a major source of weaponry with nuclear technology included on the list.

At that time the Bush administration openly admitted to fears military capabilities from North Korea could get into the wrong hands. So, continuing the aggressive diplomacy of the previous administration would have seemed a wise move. But, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz, who were in national security most of their lives, didn’t see that.

Instead they chose the logic of orders and commands further isolating a country which had demonstrated a willingness to break international laws and sell military technology on the international black market. The North Koreans made moves out of desperation with dangerous global implications. Nuclear and other weapons technologies were the only assets they had with the potential for large fast infusions of cash into their faltering economy. Selling these technologies to gain money was thus a realistic possibility anyone could see.

When the Clinton administration left office, Secretary Albright’s inroads were substantial and the estimated amounts of plutonium North Korea had was enough for one or two weapons. Now the estimates areput those numbers at about enough to make six to eight. Things have actually gotten worse. The Bush administration was forced to acede saber rattling had become background noise creating no positive shifts on policy. We are currently at a place just beyond where we were when the Bush administration first came into office with regards to North Korea.

In truth we’ve wasted seven years and still have no accounting of what weapons nuclear or otherwise were sold, how many and to whom during this period. Military action against North Korea was an impossibility due to the threat of nuclear war. Many experts including those associated with the Bush administration admitted this. Thus the threat of force was doomed to fail and only postponed the inevitable negotiations we have now returned to.

This past week the candidate most vocal about pushing talks and aggressive diplomacy with enemies before sending our troops into harms way made the international rounds. He was well received by leaders and citizens alike of the countries he visited. He also found approval from both quarters for many of his proposals including those regarding foreign policy and the planned troop withdrawals from Iraq.

This could signal a positive step towards the possibility of relations and dialogue in places our international image and relationships are vital to our national security in so many ways. Hopefully the other candidate will be as well received. Whoever suggested the candidate making the rounds this past week do so did him a service. Hope for our international image and relationships abroad has been rekindled.

To read about my inspiration for this article go to www.lawsuitagainstuconn.com.