Out of the 'Axis' of Evil
After the nuclear deal, what is ahead for North Korea?
After North Korea released a 60-page report last week detailing its intent to slowly shut down part of its nuclear program, President Bush removed the country from the administration's "Axis of Evil" list of states that sponsor terrorism. The declaration came after a rocky five-year negotiation process that included the U.S., China, Russia, South Korea and Japan, plus other members of the United Nations. At its most tense point, in the fall of 2006, military commander Kim Jong Il ordered a test of the country's nuclear abilities with little notice to the international community. But now, two years later, the country agreed to suspend key components of the program. Why? Most analysts say the concession is driven by the closed-off nation's desperate need for food and energy in the form of international aid.
In order to lift sanctions, global officials, including the Bush administration, now have six weeks to determine the validity of North Korea's concession. Assuming the concessions are authentic, the new question is how global relations with the formerly defiant country will change. To examine how North Korea's planned nuclear shutdown will affect its citizens and the rest of the world, Newsweek's Daniel Stone spoke to Dr. Victor Cha, a former top adviser on Asian Affairs to the Bush Administration, who now teaches international relations at Georgetown University. Excerpts:
What exactly did North Korea report in its declaration?
It's still unclear as to the actual contents of the report. But probably the most important portion of it is how much plutonium they've produced. One of the indications is that it may be less than what has been estimated over the years. But what's still important will be verifying what's in the declaration.
Why did the country do this now?
It's been a long time. People forget that this is a process that started in 2003, so that's almost five years. In particular, what was important for [North Korea] was the U.S. commitment to take them off the terrorism list and remove sanctions. You could tell it was well choreographed. The day before they provided this declaration, [Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice had a piece in the Wall Street Journal basically saying that the U.S. would de-list them from the terrorism list and lift the sanctions once they submit the declaration. [Clearly,] the North Koreans wanted that in writing. The day after they got the assurance, they provided the declaration. They did it at this particular time because, for one, it was long overdo and, in their mind, there were clear incentives.
The North Korean government has appeared largely defiant of international policy. Is this in fact a surrender or a type of concession?
It's not an issue of surrender. It's really an issue of diplomacy. If five years ago, I had said that we would now be at this point with the North Korean administration, no one would have thought it'd be possible. In October of 2006, North Korea did a nuclear test and that was very, very serious. We didn't know where things would go from there. Now we're at this point where in spite of a nuclear test and two UN Security Council resolutions, they're collapsing part of their program: their facility. So it's a real victory for negotiation and diplomacy. It shows you can negotiate with a regime like this even though you don't believe their going to give up their weapons, but you can still make them act in certain ways.
What effect will this have on their sanctions and their relationship with the international community?
It's symbolically important for them. Practically speaking, it won't have a major effect on their sanctions. It's not like investment will just start flowing into the country. So there's really not much of a difference, but for symbolism, this is very important.
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Posted By: The_epoch_point @ 07/05/2008 10:24:15 PM
Comment: Wisconsin's unique landmarks once again find themselves in the pages of the latest novel to be presented to readers of history, thrillers and religion in a work that combines all three genres into an adventurous global conspiracy.
The Epoch Point, just released on May 1 and written by Wisconsin native Spencer Zimmerman, is a fictional novel that includes historical facts, certain to intrigue history buffs who are interested in history from the local to the international level, especially as that history thrillingly plays out into what Zimmerman describes as a worldwide "conflict between God and the devil, good and evil."
According to the book's synopsis, the lead character, Robert Davis, is "a young Airman fresh out of Air Force basic training," reflective of Zimmerman's own recent service in the Air Force. "After being held captive in China, (Davis) suddenly finds himself unraveling the most immense conspiracy in history...soon uncovering hidden facts suggesting Russian and Iraqi involvement...discovering the diary of Lee Harvey Oswald...As the clues surface, an evil emerges powerful enough to rewrite the entire history of humanity...before long the conspiracy takes on a supernatural form, marked by [natural disasters] and the wrath of God...Nothing [prepares] (Davis) for the final suspenseful twist the story takes, a da Vinci style revelation that reaffirms his belief in Christ."
Posted By: The_epoch_point @ 07/05/2008 10:24:04 PM
Comment: Zimmerman, having lived in several locations around Wisconsin, including near Lake Mills and Watertown, incorporated Wisconsin locations and history into his novel, among them a Viking cathedral on Washington Island and the events surrounding Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. Also mentioned is a small village outside of Burlington, Wisconsin, founded by a Mormon religious leader who proclaimed himself king, the only monarchy to ever occur in the forty-eight continental states in American history. Among the other Wisconsin landmarks in The Epoch Point, and most notably, the famous national landmark Aztalan is discussed at length.
Zimmerman's discussion of Aztalan in his book in part follows what Zimmerman calls the "darker" side of Aztalan, including its cannibalism and religious practices, and the instantaneous disappearance of its thriving population. Zimmerman's writing also seeks to make connections between Aztalan's existence with that of the Minoan civilization from Ancient Greece and Zoroastrian culture of the Middle East. All three peoples had similar beliefs, worshipped fire (one of Aztalan's mounds is believed to have been the abode of an "eternal" flame) and practiced human sacrifice and cannibalism.
Zimmerman noted all of these "obscure (historical) connections," which ultimately inspired him to take the connections and formulate them into an adventurous plot. Writing his book took roughly two years.
The book's chapters are titled after the sixty-six books of the Bible, and the plot progresses as Davis reads through each chapter of the Bible, opening the Bible for the first time in chapter one of The Epoch Point. Each chapter follows a "flashback" style in structure, in which the book's characters experience revelations of historical events and experiences from 4000 B.C. to the present, which allow them to observe how those events contributed to the global conspiracy they are presently confronting. Zimmerman states that the book's events begin on New Year's Eve of 2000, and end on Christmas of 2006.
While writing novels remains at present a hobby for Zimmerman, he already has ideas for a second novel that he anticipates will follow a more scientific fiction path. The Epoch Point is currently available through Amazon.com, and Zimmerman is hoping to get copies of the book into some of Lake Mills's downtown novelty shops.
-Emily Ann Paape "The Lake Mills Leader"
Posted By: Wired @ 07/02/2008 3:09:54 PM
Comment: I despise Bush. But I gotta give it to him (administration). This is probably the most positive/moral thing they have done in the last 8 years. Diplomacy and tough sanctions are THE BEST solutions to problem nations. No one like to be told what to do especially with the threat of military action. But choke them with sanctions and they have no choice but to gasp.