By Andrew L. Jaffee

Can we take Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov seriously when he says “that Moscow was working with the government of North Korea to try to dissuade it from testing a nuclear weapon?” Excuse me as I decline to bubble with confidence. We know there’s evidence of Russian arms sales to North Korea, so why spoil the party now? We certainly know that appeasement doesn’t work. Remember the Clinton administration’s failed attempts to stop North Korea’s nuclear weapons program?

During a 2000 visit to Pyongyang, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave Kim a basketball signed by Michael Jordan, as Kim takes an interest in NBA basketball.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

The Nonaligned Movement, once dominated by communist/socialist countries, has now added Islamists to its ranks. So we have a group of dictators with atrocious human rights records; and who actively train, provide safe haven to, and/or provide weapons and money to terrorist groups; telling us that we should not label them as terrorists; or at least not as terrorism enablers. My, how convenient. They want the West, especially Israel and the U.S., to be culturally sensitive to their ultra-violence. From the AP:

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By Randy A. Sprinkle

“The United States will make no concessions to terrorist demands and strike no deals with them. We make no distinction between terrorists and those who knowingly harbor or provide aid to them.” - George W. Bush

This statement made after the September 11th attacks resonated with America. It was clear and concise and readily understandable. There were not many at that time however who realized the great complexity of this statement in terms of application - it seemed a very simple yet effective strategy. First, there were the terrorists. Second, there were “those who knowingly harbor” them. Thirdly, (and this is where it became complicated) there were those who “provide aid to them.”

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Some said President Bush was over-imaginative when he talked about an “Axis of Evil,” which included Iran and North Korea. Today, we find that Iran and North Korea may be coordinating their efforts in the worst possible way: in the development of nuclear weapons and corresponding delivery systems. From Reuters:

One or more Iranians witnessed North Korea’s recent missile tests, deepening U.S. concerns about growing ties between two countries with troubling nuclear capabilities, a top U.S. official said on Thursday.

Asked at a U.S. Senate hearing about reports that Iranians witnessed the July 4 tests, Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill, the chief U.S. negotiator with Pyongyang, replied: “Yes, that is my understanding” and it is “absolutely correct” that the relationship is worrisome.

Hill’s comments are believed to be the first public U.S. confirmation that Iranian representatives observed the seven tests, which involved one launch of a long-range ballistic missile, which failed soon after being fired, and six tests of short and medium-range missiles. Hill said the six succeeded in hitting their target range.

But U.S. officials have long said that Iran and North Korea have been collaborating and have expressed serious concerns that cash-strapped Pyongyang was keen to sell missiles and possibly also nuclear material. “Our understanding is that North Korea has had a number of commercial relations in the Middle East with respect to missiles,” Hill said.

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