International diplomacy is very structured dance. Certain moves mean certain things and certain actions draw preprogrammed responses. What we actually see is not always what is actually happening, and when a diplomatic breakthrough is announced, chances are it was achieved long before the person announcing it arrived on the scene. Sometimes what looks like a really good thing in one aspect has undercurrents that are not positive. That is what happened with the visit to North Korea by President Clinton.<\/p>\n
Today’s New York Post<\/a> has an article by Gordon Cucullu, author of “Separated at Birth: How North Korea Became the Evil Twin.” <\/em> The article deals with the implications of the Clinton visit to North Korea. Mr. Cucullu points out that:<\/p>\n “It didn’t take long to learn at least the first concession. President Obama has broken with past US policy to agree to bilateral talks with North Korea — a diplomatic plum that Kim Jong Il has sought for years, and a Mr. Cucullu also points out that National Security Adviser James Jones has said that no official messages were delivered and no promises made during President Clinton’s visit–it was a private visit. Mr. Jones also claimed that the bilateral talks were also coordinated with our allies. Mr. Cucullu points out:<\/p>\n “In fact, genuine coordination would require considerably more diplomacy than could be mounted in the days since Clinton’s return. So it’s most likely we simply informed those “allies” of a fait accompli — a slap in the face for our actual allies (South Korea, Japan), and cause for triumphal smiles for the Chinese and Russians.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Why are we throwing our friends under the bus and doing things that make our enemies happy? Have we reached a point in our nation’s history where we close our eyes to the fact that we have enemies? <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" International diplomacy is very structured dance. Certain moves mean certain things and certain actions draw preprogrammed responses. What we actually see is not always what is actually happening, and when a diplomatic breakthrough is announced, chances are it was achieved … Continue reading \n
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