By Bal(t)imoron, 9 months and 6 days ago

Jack Pritchard at the Korea Society

Former Bush administration Special Envoy to the DPRK, Charles L. «Jack» Pritchard delivered a speech on August 9, 2007 (plugging his new book) at  (mp3 file):

In recent years, North Korea?s pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability has gone from being a disturbing prospect to a frightening reality. The Six-Party Talks to end Pyongyang?s nuclear programs have generated some optimism, with the latest round resulting in the shutdown of the Yongbyon reactor, but daunting obstacles loom over further progress. How did we get here?

Ambassador Pritchard has valuable insights into the badly run Bush administration, a story all too familiar from Iraq War coverage. Still, the real problem with the DPRK is not the North Koreans themselves, but with how the situation in the DPRK affects the overall nuclear non-proliferation regime. Emphasizing bilateral relations becomes a rhetorical exercise without end. The DPRK is only as important as the Northeast Asian region and the NPT regime is to the US. Any other argument is just an excuse why the Bush administration shouldn't let itself become totally submerged in Iraq and that region and totally ignore subject areas where it cannot come away with clean political victories.

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