Author: Tim J. Clark

New Deal – N. Korea

ARTICLE: White House Revises N. Korea Nuke Deal (Washington Times)…Nicholas Kralev, April 25, 2008, Pg. 1

The Bush administration is renegotiating a tentative deal with North Korea on a declaration of its nuclear activities to include better verification provisions, after the agreement upset some on Capitol Hill and even in the administration, officials said yesterday.

On April 8, 2008 the Bush administration changed the requirements on N. Korea from requiring them to acknowledge their nuclear related activities to just acknowledging U.S. concerns. This change, referred to as the Singapore Agreement, was criticized by some members of Congress and was unlikely to be approved – especially after the recent disclosure of N.K involvement with the Syrian nuclear facility that Israel destroyed on September 6, 2007.

U Bet? Will N.K. make the changes necessary to be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism before President Bush leaves office?

Caught on Tape: N. Koreans at Syrian Reactor

ARTICLE: N. Koreans Taped At Syrian Reactor
(Washington Post)…Robin Wright, April 24, 2008
Pg. 1

A video taken inside a secret Syrian facility last summer convinced the Israeli government and the Bush administration that North Korea was helping to construct a reactor similar to one that produces plutonium for North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, according to senior U.S. officials who said it would be shared with lawmakers today.

Israel bombed the suspected nuclear facility in Syria on Sept 6. N.Korea has not admitted their involvement with the facility. The U.S. as part of the Six Party talks, is expecting N. Korea to disclose all their nuclear related programs, materials and facilities.

Happy 100th Birthday – Army Reserve

Army Reserve’s Centennial Birthday – April 23rd

Today is the 100th anniversary of the United States Army Reserve, which began modestly when Congress created the now little-known Medical Reserve Corps. Composed in 1908 of just 160 civilian physicians, this small corps quickly proved a powerful concept: that a reserve force of volunteers that brings its civilian skills onto the battlefield and helps secure the peace afterward, is one of the most dynamic tools in America’s arsenal.

The 21st century Army Reserve provides half of the Army’s combat support, a quarter of its mobilization expansion capability, and much of the Army’s high-skill personnel. Army Reserve Soldiers have played a vital role in every American military and humanitarian mission of the past 100 years. Indeed, our present day military operations could not be successful without their expertise in combat, and within medical, transportation, civil affairs and other units composed primarily of Reserve Soldiers.

At the bedrock of the Army Reserve is a mutually beneficial partnership with the American people. Citizens, Families and employers – our communities- come together to bear the burden of service and sacrifice. For many Americans, military service is thought of as an “over there” proposition, somehow removed from the daily rhythms of life. In truth, Army Reserve Soldiers are an integral part of nearly every community and profession in America. We need not look further than our own local hospitals and fire departments to find those who are dedicated to protecting our freedoms, both here and abroad.

Just as those first 160 physicians volunteered to meet the needs of 1908, today’s Army Reserve Soldier is a skilled civilian who chooses to serve in times of conflict and need. It’s a simple concept based upon patriotism and commitment to country that with the continued support of this nation, and especially our Families and employers, will ensure the Army Reserve is ready for the next 100 years.

Iraq — Another View

ARTICLE: The Iraq They Won’t Talk About,
by Amir Taheri, New York Post, April 23, 2008

BOTH opponents and supporters of the war in Iraq seem reluctant to raise the issue of what’s going on there now as an issue in the presidential race.

Opponents, of course, can’t deny that things are better than a year ago – and may fear that this could persuade voters that President Bush was right after all.

If war opponents always shift the focus back to the past, war supporters look to a putative future – countering their foes’ jeremiads with some of their own.

THE only useful debate about Iraq would focus on what is happening now – not what happened five years ago or what might happen five years from now.

It is what is happening now that makes new Iraq worth fighting for – not only for the Americans but also for all who dream of a free, pluralist, prosperous Middle East.

Iraq has bled, but remained unbowed. Iraq has resisted al Qaeda and the Iranian terror machine. Iraqis are learning to build a new society based on pluralism and are discovering the values that, in time, helped develop the Western democracies.

Despite all its sufferings, or perhaps because of them, Iraq has not succumbed to the forces of darkness, partly thanks to continued US support. That good news merits being part of the presidential debate.

Lessons Learned?

ARTICLE: Lessons From Dayton For Iraq,
by Richard Holbrooke, Washington Post, April 23, 2008, Pg. 21

SARAJEVO — Twelve years ago, the guns in Bosnia fell silent after a war that killed at least 100,000 people and left more than 2 million homeless. Since then, the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement has often been suggested as a model for other peace efforts in countries with deep ethnic or religious differences. Bosnia’s “federalism” structure has been cited, especially by Sen. Joe Biden and former Council on Foreign Relations president Les Gelb, as a possible model for Iraq.

But the world has more or less turned its back on Bosnia itself. I returned to see how things were going. What I found has relevance to many other areas, including Iraq.

The core objective. Grade: A+. ..…. Our primary goal was to end the war — once and for all. Twelve years later, that objective has been fully achieved, at a cost of zero American and NATO lives.

Lessons for other countries: No agreement is worth much if it is not vigorously implemented and enforced. Political arrangements must reflect historical and ethnic realities. A unitary state with a strong central government may work in France or Japan, but not in Bosnia — nor, I believe, in such places as (to choose from many) Iraq, Afghanistan or Sudan. There (as in the United States, Germany and India), power must be shared between the central government and the states or provinces. The United States must recognize this in Iraq.

CIA Report – North Korea and Syria

ARTICLE: CIA To Describe North Korea-Syria Nuclear Ties
(Los Angeles Times)…Paul Richter and Greg Miller

…U.S. officials provided little explanation of why they want to brief lawmakers on the North Korean-Syrian links after declining to do so for months. A senior Senate aide said the timing appears driven by a Bush administration desire to apprise committee members of the latest intelligence on the reactor before releasing some of the information.

North Korea and Syria Link

ARTICLE: U.S. To Link North Korea To Syria
Wall Street Journal, by Jay Solomon, April 23, 2008
Pg. 7

North Korea was helping Syria build a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor before Israel bombed the site last September, the Bush administration is set to tell Congress.

Expectations from the Six Party Talks with North Korea include:

Yongbyon nuclear reactor permanently disabled in exchange for shipments of heavy fuel oil and release of frozen bank funds. U.S. officials estimate that North Korea extracted between 30 kilograms (66 pounds) and 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of plutonium from its now-shut Yongbyon reactor

North Korea discloses all it’s nuclear activities at home and abroad in exchange for certain U.S. concessions, including removal from Washington’s list of terrorism sponsors and lifting of U.S. trade sanctions under the Trading with the Enemy Act, a 1917 law.

TV Military Analysts – Objectivity Questioned

ARTICLE: Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand, By David, Barstow, New York Times, April 20, 2008

The Pentagon has cultivated “military analysts” in a campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the Bush administration’s wartime performance.

“…The rules are simple, folks: If you work for a defense contractor, run a defense “consulting” firm or collect a check for sitting on a defense-industry board, you’re tainted.”  Ralph Peters, columnist, retired US Army officer.

U.S. South Korea Agree to Pause Drawdown

ARTICLE: U.S., South Korea Agree To Pause Drawdown,
Pacific Stars and Stripes)…Ashley Rowland and Hwang Hae-rym, April 23, 2008

The United States will pause the drawdown of its troops in South Korea, military officials from both countries said Monday.

“We reached an agreement to maintain the current U.S. troop level on the Korean peninsula. This is a mutual agreement that benefits both our nations and will strengthen our alliance.” -President George W. Bush

The U.S. and South Korea agreed to the drawdown in 2004 when the U.S. had 38,500 troops stationed in South Korea. The number of troops were to be reduced to 25,000 by the end of 2008. Current level of 28,000 to be maintained.

U.S. Team Headed to Pyongyang

ARTICLE: U.S. Team Headed To Pyongyang In Search Of ‘Significant Progress’Washington Post, Blaine Harden, April 22, 2008, Pg. 11

The disclosure-for-aid deal negotiated last fall and due last Dec. 31. For the first time since the United States eased demands on North Korea, a U.S. delegation is headed to the communist state to try to verify the extent of its nuclear program.

Over the weekend, President Bush and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said U.S. concessions to the North could unlock delicate negotiations. Bush has been criticized by some Republicans for yielding too much to the Stalinist government of Kim Jong Il.

“Why don’t we just wait and see what they say before people go out there and start giving their opinions about whether this is a good deal or a bad deal?” Bush said Saturday at Camp David, Md., where he met with Lee.

The recently elected South Korean president added that talks with North Korea require “persistent patience.” “It’s difficult to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programs, but it is not impossible,” Lee said.