961: Biden and the Koreas. @AmbJohnBolton @Korus

Published: Jan. 8, 2021, 3:27 a.m.

Image:  Korea.   Posts along road which were carved to prevent devils from passing   John Bolton,@AmbJohnBolton, American Foundation for Security and Freedom (fasfreedom.com); in re:   Even so, what can we predict for U.S. relations with the two Koreas over the next four years?  Possible answers can be found in Biden’s long involvement in American foreign and defense policy;  his eight years serving as Barack Obama’s Vice President;  and the political state-of-play within the Democratic and Republican parties and the broader American body politic, including the few mentions of Korea during the campaign. First, while a Senator, Biden was a conventional Democratic politician on national-security issues.  He rarely broken new intellectual ground, contenting himself, publicly at least, with staying well within the bounds of his party’s positions.  For example, like most Democrats, Biden waffled assiduously in 2002-03 on whether he favored using force to oust Iraq’s Saddam Hussein.  He ultimately supported using force, while repeatedly urging that President George W. Bush not actually do so.    —Biden foreign policy; North Korea; China. After decades, is North Korea still enjoying the upper hand? Four administrations have failed to deal adequately – economic sanctions, pressure, diplomatic negotiations; all not working.  Pres Moon in the Blue House: heir to the Sunshine policy, a most naïve view of North Korea. Rests on the premise that DPRK would be a reliable partner in a prospective reunification.  Moon Jae-in has another year. Biden intends to restore the JCPOA. DPRK seems to count on Iranian missile tests for the moment. Dangerous situation.  For decades, it’s been clear that Beijing is not an honest broker: DPRK threatens the entire region, giving China leverage while [acting as though it’s not involved].  Kerry’s single mission on climate change rests on his saying that he moved China into a better position. All foreign policy initiatives risk being set aside in favor of Biden’s creating [more amiable] relations with China.