2007.01.30: January 30, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Korea: COS - Thailand: Diplomacy: Hunger: Christian Science Monitor: Tony Hall writes: What North Korea really wants

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Thailand: Special Report: RPCV Tony Hall: Tony Hall: Newest Stories: 2007.01.30: January 30, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Korea: COS - Thailand: Diplomacy: Hunger: Christian Science Monitor: Tony Hall writes: What North Korea really wants

By Admin1 (admin) (ppp-70-245-26-66.dsl.okcyok.swbell.net - 70.245.26.66) on Thursday, February 01, 2007 - 10:52 am: Edit Post

Tony Hall writes: What North Korea really wants

Tony Hall writes: What North Korea really wants

"Despite their bravado, North Korea's rulers understand their country's dire straits. They want more help from the West, particularly from the US. Above all, they want the respect and security that they believe would spring from a lasting bilateral relationship with the US, not from the current six-party talks. They're crying for attention, and the only way they know to command it is to fire their missiles and rattle their nuclear bombs. If the US granted that attention through direct, serious, comprehensive talks with Pyongyang without preconditions, it would have the potential of putting North Korea's nuclear-weapons program back in the freezer. And it might begin to pull the Hermit Kingdom into the community of civilized nations." Former Congressman Tony Hall of Ohio, was ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand in the 1960's.

Tony Hall writes: What North Korea really wants

What North Korea really wants

The 'Hermit Kingdom' desires a better relationship with the West – the US in particular.

By Tony Hall

WASHINGTON - In late 2004, I stood at the edge of the Sahara Desert and marveled at a scene that would have been impossible to imagine a short time before. Near the ancient trading post of Al Kufrah, where Libya's asphalt roads surrender to sand, a convoy of 350 trucks headed off into the desert on its way to refugee camps in Chad. These Libyan trucks were piled high with bags that carried the stamp "U.S.A." and contained two months of American-grown food for 200,000 refugees from Darfur.

In three decades as a US congressman, ambassador, and now as a humanitarian activist, I have traveled to more than 100 countries, many of them places of hunger, poverty, warfare, or oppression. I have met some of the world's worst despots and witnessed the horror they can create. I also have, as in Libya, witnessed good deeds done by those who are best known for wickedness. I have learned from these experiences that we should persist in our efforts to help the poor and liberate the oppressed. We also should be ready to engage our enemies, give them opportunities to do good – and maybe some day convert them into friends.

The pressure of UN sanctions finally helped lead Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, an international pariah, to seek a new relationship with the civilized world. One fruit of subsequent engagement with him was obtaining a better route for shipping relief supplies to Darfur's starving refugees.

The United States is missing the opportunity to directly engage North Korea in a similar process. As a result, the world is less safe. The North's inflammatory rhetoric and nuclear weapons-rattling don't exactly promote engagement. But I am convinced that, beneath the hostile noise, its leaders want to develop a better relationship with the West, and especially with the US.

Seeing the 'Hermit Kingdom' firsthand

I've concluded this because I was able to make six visits to the "Hermit Kingdom" while I was a member of Congress, traveling throughout that troubled country with surprising freedom. Accompanied by my own interpreter (so I could have uncensored conversations with the North Koreans I met), I saw the horrors of a dysfunctional economy, an unproductive agriculture, and an oppressive totalitarian political system.

I saw people eating grass, doctors performing surgery without anesthetics, children so growth-stunted that 18-year-olds appeared to be 9. I saw people taught to fear an evil America by news media and schools devoted to propaganda. I also saw people carrying bags, emblazoned with the US flag, in which they had received food aid.

On my last visit, in late 2000, I met high-ranking North Korean officials – but not supreme "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il – who begged me to help them come to terms with the US. Some progress had been made in a 1994 agreement that froze North Korea's nuclear-weapons program. In the waning days of the Clinton administration, the North Koreans wanted to build on that. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had traveled to Pyongyang in October 2000, met with Mr. Kim, and told President Clinton he could get an agreement by going to North Korea himself.

An urgent appeal for a deal

Nothing came of that appeal, so the North Koreans turned to me. Please, they said, urge your president to come here. If he will talk with us directly, we can negotiate an agreement that would lead to dismantling our nuclear-weapons program.

On my way home, I stopped in South Korea where then-President Kim Dae-jung made the same plea. He wouldn't let me leave his office until he was convinced I would carry the message to Washington.

I did urge Mr. Clinton to go, but he was focused exclusively on a final, unsuccessful, attempt to broker a Middle East peace. The Bush administration adopted a harder line toward North Korea. But we now know that Kim Jong Il continued to seek the US president's attention, sending a written personal message to President Bush through two well-regarded US foreign-policy experts who visited Pyongyang in 2002. In it, Kim said engagement could lead to a resolution of the nuclear-weapons conflict.

Like Clinton, Mr. Bush did not take advantage of this opening. It was then that North Korea expelled UN weapons inspectors, withdrew from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, and reopened plutonium production facilities that had been closed as the result of the Clinton-era negotiations.

Despite their bravado, North Korea's rulers understand their country's dire straits. They want more help from the West, particularly from the US. Above all, they want the respect and security that they believe would spring from a lasting bilateral relationship with the US, not from the current six-party talks. They're crying for attention, and the only way they know to command it is to fire their missiles and rattle their nuclear bombs.

If the US granted that attention through direct, serious, comprehensive talks with Pyongyang without preconditions, it would have the potential of putting North Korea's nuclear-weapons program back in the freezer. And it might begin to pull the Hermit Kingdom into the community of civilized nations.

• Tony Hall is the author of "Changing the Face of Hunger."




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: January, 2007; RPCV Tony Hall (Thailand); Figures; Peace Corps Korea; Directory of Korea RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Korea RPCVs; Peace Corps Thailand; Directory of Thailand RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Thailand RPCVs; Diplomacy; Hunger; Ohio





When this story was posted in January 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Contact PCOLBulletin BoardRegisterSearch PCOLWhat's New?

Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Subscribe to Peace Corps News Date: January 14 2007 No: 1059 Subscribe to Peace Corps News
Don't miss our new web site, Peace Corps News, for the latest news about the Returned Volunteer community and what is going on with the Peace Corps around the world. Subscribe to our news feed to get Peace Corps news delivered to your desk as it happens. Then visit the Peace Corps Library, History of the Peace Corps, the worldwide RPCV Directory or leave a message for the RPCV community on the RPCV Bulletin Board.

Top Stories and Breaking News PCOL Magazine Peace Corps Library RPCV Directory Sign Up

January 14, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Date: January 14 2007 No: 1050 January 14, 2007: This Month's Top Stories
Dodd declares candidacy in 2008 Presidential race 11 Jan
Malawi RPCVs found "Orphan Support" 11 Jan
John Garamendi takes oath as California Lt. Governor 8 Jan
Amy Smith prepares her students for field trips to remote villages 8 Jan
CES provides loans to rural constituents in Guatemala 6 Jan
RPCV Tom Bissell writes: Rolling Estonia 5 Jan
Lance Holter writes: 1st Lt. Ehren Watada risks it all 2 Jan
Paul Theroux writes: Remember the Cicadas 2 Jan
Louise M. Pascale republishes Afghan children's songs 31 Dec
Husband remembers Niger RPCV Mary Ann Hobson 30 Dec
Bob Leventry faces problems importing organic quinoa 29 Dec
Congressmen urge increase in diplomatic and development programs 27 Dec
Family says treatment after PCV death left bitter feeling 27 Dec
Family finishes project after PCV dies in shark attack 26 Dec
Mark Ridoff writes: Productivity doesn't aid middle class 24 Dec
Dodd says begin process of getting troops out of Iraq 24 Dec
PCVs caught in street protest in Bolivia 22 Dec
Honda named to powerful Appropriations Committee 22 Dec
PCOL and NPCA collaborate on story "Snowshoe Bob" 21 Dec
Alejandro Toledo charged in Forgery Scheme 21 Dec
Michael O'Hanlon writes: The State of Iraq 20 Dec
Carl Pope writes: Renewable energy offers new jobs 20 Dec

December 20, 2006: This Month's Top Stories Date: January 14 2007 No: 1051 December 20, 2006: This Month's Top Stories
Tunisia RPCV Jeannie Ritter is new first lady of Colorado 13 Dec
John Nichols writes: Petri ought to consider change to Democrat 19 Dec
Craig Simons writes: Wolong is home to wild pandas 17 Dec
George Neavoll holding essay contest for stamp collection 17 Dec
Taft plans to revisit Tanzania where he served as PCV 17 Dec
Tschetter gives address at Florida Gulf Coast University 16 Dec
President of Macedonia addresses PCVs taking oath 15 Dec
President Dr. Thomas Boni Yayi of Benin visits PC HQ 14 Dec
Submissions sought "Letters Home from the Peace Corps" 14 Dec
Hill leads negotations with North Korea after 13-month hiatus 14 Dec
Reed Hastings endows new charter school organization 14 Dec
John Bridgeland launches 'Malaria No More' 14 Dec
Ann Easterly creates libraries in Africa 13 Dec
Damian Jones started Annapolis-based "Aid Through Trade" 13 Dec
Alberto Ibarguen to be Chairman of the Newseum 13 Dec
Jonathan Lash writes: World undergoing rapid change 13 Dec
Ben Moyer named Chief Executive Officer of Pro Mujer 12 Dec
James Rupert drafts letter of protest to 'Newsday' 11 Dec
Tom Weisner potential contender to replace Dennis Hastert 11 Dec
PC deploys SPSS Predictive Analytics for PCV Surveys 11 Dec
Congress passes Walsh's Resolution supporting democracy in Nepal 10 Dec

Ron Tschetter in Morocco and Jordan Date: November 18 2006 No: 1038 Ron Tschetter in Morocco and Jordan
On his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future.

Election 2006: Results of RPCV Races Date: November 8 2006 No: 1024 Election 2006: Results of RPCV Races
Chris Shays claims victory in closely watched race
Jim Walsh wins re-election to Congress in close race
Tom Petri unopposed for re-election to Congress
Sam Farr wins re-election to Congress
Mike Honda wins re-election to Congress
Jim Doyle wins re-election to Wisconsin Governorship
Kinky Friedman loses in long shot bid for Texas Governor
John Garamendi elected Lt. Governor of California

The Peace Corps Library Date: July 11 2006 No: 923 The Peace Corps Library
The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Date: September 23 2006 No: 996 Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps
Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

He served with honor Date: September 12 2006 No: 983 He served with honor
One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director Date: September 6 2006 No: 978 Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director
Read our story about Ron Tschetter's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was carried on C-Span. It was very different from the Vasquez hearings in 2001, very cut and dried with low attendance by the public. Among the highlights, Tschetter intends to make recruitment of baby boomers a priority, there are 20 countries under consideration for future programs, Senator Dodd intends to re-introduce his third goal Peace Corps legislation this session, Tschetter is a great admirer of Senator Coleman's quest for accountability, Dodd thinks management at PC may not put volunteers first, Dodd wants Tschetter to look into problems in medical selection, and Tschetter is not a blogger and knows little about the internet or guidelines for volunteer blogs. Read our recap of the hearings as well as Senator Coleman's statement and Tschetter's statement.

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance Date: August 19 2006 No: 964 Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance
The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again Date: July 31 2006 No: 947 The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again
The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

PCOL readership increases 100% Date: April 3 2006 No: 853 PCOL readership increases 100%
Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace Corps Date: March 18 2006 No: 834 History of the Peace Corps
PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.


Read the stories and leave your comments.






Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Christian Science Monitor

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Korea; COS - Thailand; Diplomacy; Hunger

PCOL36057
70


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: