Author: Tim J. Clark

North Korea – Abdication?

ARTICLE: Bush’s North Korea Nuclear Abdication
(Wall Street Journal)…John R. Bolton, May 8, 2008, Pg. 15

Despite rising Capitol Hill opposition to its North Korea policy, the Bush administration continues to find new and imaginative ways to accommodate Pyongyang’s sensitivities. Meanwhile, the administration’s Democratic congressional allies are urgently pushing to waive the Glenn Amendment, which bars essentially all U.S. economic and military aid to the North.

Mr. Bolton, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, is the author of “Surrender Is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations” (Simon & Schuster/Threshold Editions, 2007).

Application of SMART Power is challenging. One one side are advocates that are optimistic that dialogue and negotiation will lead to positive change. On the other hand, you have those that look at the history and take any promised change from NK with a great deal of skepticism and mistrust.

U.S. vs. Russia – Georgian Province

ARTICLE: A Warning Shot From Moscow? By Anne Applebaum, Washington Post, May 6, 2008 , Pg. 19

In the Georgian Province of Abkhazia, a Possible Flashpoint for a New War

A few key points from the article:

Russian news agency ITAR-TASS declared that the government of Georgia was about to invade Abkhazia,

Abkhazia is a province of Georgia that declared its independence in 1992. A small war followed, Georgia and Abkhazia maintain an uneasy stalemate,

Russia, is Abkhazia’s closest military, economic and political ally and has a long-term interest in the destabilization of pro-American, pro-Western, pro-NATO Georgia.

Thus, when the Russian news agency announces that Georgia is about to invade Abkhazia, it may mean that Georgia really is about to invade Abkhazia. But it might also mean, as everyone in the region understands, that Russia is about to invade Georgia — as a “preemptive strike,” of course.

The timing couldn’t be worse. . Between now and January, the current president is a lame duck: Could he make any credible response to a Russian invasion of Abkhazia, should such a thing happen?

Of course, from another perspective, the timing couldn’t be better: If you wanted to attack an American ally, or if you just wanted to destabilize and unnerve an American ally, wouldn’t this be the perfect moment? Perhaps if the Russians don’t take the opportunity, someone else will.

U.S. Response to Russian Troop Movements

ARTICLE: Georgia: U.S. Criticizes Russian Troop Movements
(New York Times)…Reuters , May 7, 2008

The Bush administration accused Russia of acting provocatively against Georgia by moving troops to the breakaway region of Abkhazia and shooting down a remotely piloted aerial vehicle, increasing the risk of armed confrontation. A White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, urged Russia to restate its support for Georgia’s sovereignty, and Georgia to show restraint.

U.S Strike on Iran – 50/50?

ARTICLE: Is It Jaw-Jaw Or War-War? (San Francisco Chronicle)…Patrick J. Buchanan, Creators Syndicate Inc.Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Is war with Iran inevitable, even imminent? Or is peace at hand? From the public diplomacy of the administration, either conclusion may be reached.

“To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war,” said Winston Churchill in 1954, whose career often contradicted his wise counsel.

Smart Power

ARTICLE: Admiral: War Zones Need More Than Military, By Jim Warren, Lexington (KY) Herald Leader, May 3, 2008

The Middle East and Central Asia — particularly Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan — will remain a problem spot well into the future, but military power alone won’t be enough to bring peace and stability to the region, President Bush’s chief military adviser said at the University of Kentucky on Friday night.

Instead, Adm. Michael Mullen said, a variety of international partnerships will be needed, plus sending more American experts to teach the region’s troubled countries such things as how to build strong police forces and create economically viable systems of agriculture and business.

NK Policy – More Opposition

ARTICLE” Bush’s N. Korea Policy Draws Right Jab
(Washington Times)…David R. Sands, May 4, 2008

Conservative critics of the Bush administration’s North Korea policy — including former top security officials from the president’s first term — say they are not assuaged by the administration’s latest move to toughen the terms of a deal to end Pyongyang’s nuclear-weapons programs.

Critics of the proposed policy changes contend that concessions are synonymous with allowing North Korea a win in its Cold War with the West.

Dalai Lama vs China

ARTICLE: Dalai Lama Envoys Ready For Talks
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)…Unattributed, May 3, 2008

The Dalai Lama’s envoys headed for China to hold the first talks with Chinese officials since violent protests erupted in Tibet. China has faced more calls to negotiate with Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, and many believe it agreed to the talks in a bid to ease the pressure ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

The Dalai Llama provides one of the world’s better examples of promoting the Diplomatic element of power to resolve challenging issues. Tibet aims to obtain autonomy; China considers autonomy synonymous with independence that they fiercely oppose.

Second Aircraft Carrier to Gulf

ARTICLE: New U.S. Carrier In Gulf A ‘Reminder’ To Iran: Gates (Reuters.com)…David Morgan, Reuters, April 29, 2008
The U.S. Navy has temporarily added a second aircraft carrier in the Gulf as a “reminder” to Iran, but this was not an escalation of American forces in the region, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that the Pentagon had military options it could consider against Tehran but stressed that the United States would continue to rely on diplomatic and economic methods to address its concerns.

Reinforces what Secretary of Defense referrs to as “Smart” power.

War Analysts – Retired Military Officers

 

ARTICLE: House Calls For Probe Of War Analysts, Associated Press, Tampa Tribune
May 3, 2008

WASHINGTON – Forty-one House members are calling on the Defense Department inspector general to investigate a public relations effort that relied on retired military officers to defend the administration’s Iraq war policies.

“When the Department of Defense misleads the American people by having them believe that they are listening to the views of objective military analysts when, in fact, these individuals are simply replaying DoD talking points, the department is clearly betraying the public trust,” the lawmakers wrote in a joint letter to Defense Department Inspector General Claude M. Kicklighter on Friday.

Retired officers who acted as military analysts for major news outlets were given plum access to the Pentagon, with regular briefings by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and a sponsored trip to the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba.