[PEN-L:33456] North Korea nails Bush

[Chris Burford <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

BBC late last night emphasised how extremely unwelcome the news must be for
the Bush administration that North Korea is expelling arms inspectors.
Ironically just at time when Iraq is cooperating with them. The US
government wants all public attention on Iraq.

The speculation is that the Bush admin. has no policy for this contingency.
They have been trying to isolate NKorea for the last year. They cannot
fight it. They must negotate. But they cannot do so publicly. Even to use
South Korea is difficult since the new President has just been elected on a
platform somewhat distant from the USA. Bush's best hope is that China will
help to coordinate negotations with North Korea.

[But China is not in favour of a hegemonic world, and within 30 years the
Chinese economy might be larger than that of the USA.]

Chris Burford

London