Obama Talks Tough on North Korea

Obama Talks Tough on North Korea

by Harry Kazianis

U.S. President Barack Obama is set to attend a nuclear security summit in South Korea this week, but although North Korea won’t be attending, he was keen to send a clear warning to Pyongyang, declaring it would “achieve nothing by threats or provocation.” The president’s tough talk comes on the heels of an agreement between the United States and North Korea last month that traded “a moratorium on long-range missile launches, nuclear tests, and nuclear activities at Yongbyon, including uranium enrichment activities” for food aid.  Still, the U.S. was careful to greet the deal with only cautious optimism, declaring the agreement a “modest first step in the right direction. We, of course, will be watching closely and judging North Korea's new leaders by their actions." Such caution was possibly wise, as the deal is now potentially already in jeopardy with North Korea’s declaration this month that it intends to launch a satellite, which ... Read