The world breathed a sigh of relief on Monday when North Korea announced it would not retaliate in response to military exercises by the South Koreans over the weekend. Why did Pyongyang back down? Where does that leave the Korean peninsula now? What should the Obama administration be pursuing with respect to its Korea policy? And can the United Nations be counted upon to have any leverage against North Korea? We ask former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton.
Archives for December 20, 2010
An Excuse to Scrap Missile Defense
Senate Democrats are working feverishly to ratify the START agreement on nuclear weapons hammered out between the Obama administration and Russia. Republicans are trying to change the deal in order to strengthen America’s missile defense posture and modernize our nuclear arsenal. So far, those efforts have been rejected. Are these badly needed changes or are Republicans just trying to kill this treaty by any means possible? Why do conservatives see this treaty as badly flawed? What kind of final vote can we expect? And how solid or weak is the Obama argument that this treaty is vital to verifying what Russia is and is not doing on the nuclear front? We ask former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.
Three Martini Lunch 12/20/10
Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty breathe a sigh of relief that North Korea did not strike South Korea today. Greg vents his frustration over the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, while Jim finds a couple of silver linings. And they express their dread at the Christmas travel season after a computer monitor in a checked bag shuts down an entire terminal in Newark.