By Chaz Martin
George W. Bush has robbed you of a humor column. This was to be a piece of satire comparing the Israeli/Palestinian feud with the late 1980’s rivalry between wrestling superstars Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. I intended to equate the lovely Miss Elizabeth with the city of Jerusalem: the object of desire that constantly tears the two would-be friends apart. But no; there is an axis of evil on hand and I, as should all Americans, plan on pondering just how evil that axis truly is.
The 23rd letter of the alphabet has recently returned from an Asian road trip where he rubbed shoulders with the presidents of China, Japan, and South Korea. These leaders had expressed unease towards Bush’s declaration that North Korea is “evil,” and Dubya was there to make his case. Staring through binoculars across the Demilitarized Zone (the US-controlled divider between North and South Korea), the President stated that the “evil” designation was directed solely toward the evil government, and not its people. He added, “We both sympathize and empathize with the North Korean people.”
This man continues to dazzle. Any lesser president may have just sympathized with the North Korean people. Others may have opted to empathize. But our president, George W., both sympathizes and empathizes. That’s multi-tasking.
The rub is that many South Koreans, including their president, Kim Dae-jung, have stated that Bush’s rhetoric will do little to promote peace. More likely, they charge that his jive would likely deteriorate the relationship between the Koreas, which had been improving over the past few years. (Note: no Korean was actually reported as having used the word “jive.”) Under the Clinton Administration, Secretary of State Madeline Albright became the highest level American official to visit North Korea since the Korean War. Its president, Kim Jong-il, met with his southern counterpart and committed to reuniting families that had been separated by the peninsula’s divide.
When Bush II came into office, everything changed. After Colin Powell signaled that the US wanted to continue peace talks with Kim Jong-il, the Bush administration signaled that they would instead take a hard line. Powell was sent to the periphery and didn’t reemerge until after September 11th. Peace talks were cancelled and the Cold War began to heat up.
Of course, few can deny that the North Korean government is corrupt and wretched. While its people starve, Kim Jong-il has concentrated his country’s resources on manufacturing weapons. His regime is totalitarian and almost any change would be for the better.
That being said, to label a nation as “evil” is absolute. Evil cannot be negotiated with, nor can it co-exist with the “good.” Bush’s statements that we are involved in a fight between these two adjectives would imply that we must go to war with any and all countries with evil leadership. The good news is that YOU are safe. Any US action against North Korea would mean death and destruction not in the United States, but in South Korea. In this context, it is easy to understand why many in the South have viewed the President’s comments as reckless.
The irony is that while North Korea is “evil,” China has been given Most Favored Nation trade status. It is doubtful that Bush would criticize the Chinese government, as it protects US industries that engage in slave labor. Although China is a dictatorship, it is our dictatorship, and therefore excluded from the axis that W seems to be so fond of condemning.
The truth of the matter is that we will probably not invade North Korea. The international backlash and PR risk would be too high. However, it is very likely that we will continue to station 30,000 US troops in the Demilitarized Zone for years to come. A high defense budget means high campaign donations from defense contractors. This new state of constant military demand will insure George W and those in power a ready supply of funding from your friends at Boeing, GE, and Westinghouse: the makers of the weapons of mass destruction for the good ol’ US of A.
