How Bush Built North Korea's Bomb

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http://eatthestate.org/11-05/HowBushBuilt.htm

North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test on October 16, 2006. Iran is almost certainly plunging headlong with its own nuclear enrichment program. These two members of Bush's "axis of evil" have been developing nuclear capabilities since the 1980s, yet Bush wasted all of America's military force and international credibility attacking the weak third member of the "axis," Iraq. Iraq had no nuclear program, no weapons of mass destruction, no control over its own airspace, was under sanctions, was under international inspections, and was for all practical purposes successfully contained.

When President Clinton came into office in 1993, ten nations possessed nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, England, France, China, Israel, South Africa, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. When he left office in 2001, only eight nations had nuclear weapons. Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan returned their old Soviet era nukes to Russia, and South Africa voluntarily dismantled theirs. The United States had 12,000 nuclear warheads in 1992 to Russia's 25,000. By the end of Clinton's terms, those numbers had been reduced to 11,000 and 10,000 respectively. The United States has not developed or tested any nuclear weapon since 1992. The world was a safer place then, and international security was relatively stable.

To be sure, two new nations joined the nuclear club at the end of Clinton's Presidency: India exploded a small device in 1974 but its first major test was in 1998, followed in rapid succession by Pakistan two weeks later. The Republican-controlled Congress paid no attention; they were intent only on persecuting Clinton and pandering to their own right wing fundamentalists. Bush subsequently lifted Clinton's sanctions against both countries and rewarded them with agreements and alliances. Now the two mutually hostile nations are estimated to have 205 nuclear bombs between them, and the renegade Pakistani scientist, Abdul Khan, shared his expertise with Iran, North Korea, and Libya.

What message did this send to North Korea? "Build the bomb first, then talk." North Korea began its nuclear program in 1989, when the Soviet Union collapsed. In 1993 Pyongyang threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty it had signed in 1985. Clinton sent Robert Gallucci to negotiate in spite of heavy Republican opposition. The Republicans claimed that this was rewarding North Korea for its "bad behavior." Clinton replied that negotiation is better than brinkmanship for American security. North Korea relented. According to the terms of the Agreed Framework, the US began to supply North Korea with heavy fuel oil and two light water nuclear electrical plants. The communist regime stopped plutonium enrichment and shut down their facility at Yongbyon.

In 1994, the Republicans swept into control of Congress. They refused to ratify the Agreed Framework, and dragged their feet on the American part of the deal. Famine hit North Korea and Kim Dae Jung of South Korea launched his Sunshine Policy, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Under this policy, food was supplied to the North, relatives were able to meet across the borders, and Pyongyang even opened up a free trade zone. North Korea launched a missile over the Sea of Japan in 1998, drawing sharp protests from Tokyo, but did not enrich one ounce of plutonium. The following year, Clinton sent another envoy and this time Kim Jung Il agreed to inspections and freezing of all missile tests. In 2000, Clinton even sent Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to North Korea as a sign of better recognition and easing tensions with the isolated country.

Along comes George Bush in 2001...