Oh, puh-leeze, how can anyone - even Tony Snow - suggest that this presidency's approach to North Korea isn't a debacle, and that President Clinton's was somehow worse (and why would that be remotely relevant in the first place, even if it was true?)? As if.
Posted by armand at July 10, 2006 04:54 PM | TrackBack | Posted to International AffairsQuestion of fact: did the US (under Clinton) ever actually transfer the light-water reactors and other parts of the 1994 agreement to North Korea? Clinton never called it a "bribe" (though that's what it looked like), but the US was supposed to send some stuff (along with Japan?), and North Korea was supposed to open up to inspections. I know they did the inspection thing for a while, but did the US ever follow through and provide the reactors and other sundries?
Posted by: baltar at July 10, 2006 07:49 PM | PERMALINKNo - we broke the deal.
I haven't read the books by the participants in those negotiations - but I assume we always planned to break the deal. I can't imagine that the administration really ever thought they'd get funding for the reactors through Congress.
Posted by: Armand at July 11, 2006 11:07 AM | PERMALINK