Mark Twain is reputed to have stated that history does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes. I very much fear that is the case today. Back in 1994, the United States was on the brink of war with North Korea over its threat to leave the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. In July 1994, the U.S. reached a deal that in return for oil and nuclear power, North Korea would cease nuclear weapons production. For six years, the deal mostly worked. The U.S. Secretary of State even visited North Korea in October 2000! However, in 2001, George Bush became president, started not following through with U.S. commitments (such as the nuclear power plant) and declared North Korea a member of the "axis of evil." North Korea in response began a clandestine uranium enrichment program (although still refrained from restarting its more dangerous plutonium program). The Bush administration responded by effectively killing the remainder of the nuclear deal by cutting off oil shipments and North Korea pulled out. At the time, North Korea had one to two nuclear weapons and no effective delivery systems. Today, most estimates say they have 30 nuclear weapons and are close to being able to hit the U.S.
In 2012, Israel and Iran are on the brink of war. The U.S. fears war so much that it sends its top military officer to lobby the dovish Israeli military and Israeli president to talk the hawkish Prime Minister out of a strike. It buys just enough time for the Iranian leadership to change in the pivotal election of 2013. The U.S. signs another nuclear deal in 2015 that effectively stops the Iranian nuclear program. However, again, in 2016, the U.S. gets a new leader, who "decertifies" a deal that by every effective measure appears to be working. Even previously hawkish Israelis (such as former Defense Minister Ehud Barak) think it is a bad idea for us to pull out. However, domestic politics seem to be the only concern of our current president.
I urge, to paraphrase John F. Kennedy, for our current president to undo this reckless threat to world peace and join back with the world in a deal that avoided war, stopped the spread of nuclear weapons, and saved lives. For I do not want Iran to be North Korea in a few years.
William Steinwedel
Westminster