4 ANALYSIS & FEATURE
Game time for Obama on Iran, North Korea
WASHINGTON (AP) —
Suddenly the door has opened
for President Barack Obama to
put his long-shot diplomatic
strategy to the test and fulfill a
campaign pledge to negotiate di-
rectly with North Korea and
Iran.
Casting aside conditions that
former President George W.
Bush had set for talking with
countries he called part of an
“axis of evil,” Obama is making
a play for progress after years of
little movement. At stake with
both Iran and North Korea is
the risk of an eventual nuclear
confrontation.
The Obama administration is
trying to keep expectations low,
saying it has no illusions that ei-
ther North Korea or Iran will
suddenly soften its position and
give up its nuclear ambitions.
The White House insists that
diplomacy is the only realistic
hope for heading off a potential
nuclear arms race in the Middle
East and in Asia.
In the case of Iran, the ad-
ministration seems ready to ar-
gue that talks are a no-lose
proposition.
“If Iran is unwilling to discuss
their illicit nuclear weapons
program, I think all that does is
strengthen the hand of the in-
ternational community,” White
House press secretary Robert
Gibbs said Monday.
His remarks appeared to al-
lude to the prospect of building
international support for new
sanctions against Iran in the
event that Tehran remains un-
willing to negotiate an end to its
nuclear program.
The negotiating landscape
has shifted markedly since
Obama took office, with Iran’s
regime contending with internal
turmoil from political dissenters
and North Korea suddenly ea-
ger to pursue talks with the
United States after a heated
summer of saber-rattling after
its second nuclear test.
Iran, which denies U.S. and
international suspicions that its
nuclear program is meant to
produce a bomb, insists its
atomic efforts are nonnego-
tiable. But last week it pro-
nounced itself ready for talks on
Is ‘global cohesion’ the best
security against terrorism?
By Chris Williams
Where were you on 9/11? As
the anniversary of the bombings
of the twin towers passes, peo-
ple recall where they were on
that day in 2001, and how that
effects where they are this year.
Did the terrorist bombers
achieve their aim, or are politi-
cians and people the winners?
Go to an airport and it seems
that the excessive security sym-
bolizes the victory of the terror-
ists. Although the checks pre-
sent an impression of security, it
is very obvious that they can
achieve very little. Not least,
like a chain, any system of in-
ternational airports is only as
secure as its weakest link.
State-of-the-art technology at
Incheon will not offer protection
from a bomber who enters the
system without checks in Kabul
or Yemen.
It seems that airport security
systems are there to protect
politicians from criticism, not
passengers from murder. Off-
duty security operatives explain
the failings.
Avid security guards remove
harmless nail clippers from chil-
dren, while a few meters along
the airport shops readily sell
similar items that could kill.
Any sharp object made of plastic
or glass is unlikely to be detect-
ed. Once on the plane, you are
handed your knife and fork. Is it
a deterrent that if terrorists
want a metal knife they must
travel business class?
Chopsticks, plastic and wood-
en, are given out, and can easily
be turned into a lethal stiletto
with a pencil sharpener. The
weapon that secret services are
taught to use as a crucial part of
their armory is available on re-
quest from the stewardess — a
ball point pen.
Occasionally there are ran-
dom police checks of passports,
to identify people whose travel
patterns are suspicious. The of-
ficers always smile as they see
the stamps in my passport —
Afghanistan, Lebanon,
An undated handout photo released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (center) inspecting the Pukjung
Machine Complex in North Pyongan Province.
a broader agenda, and an initial
meeting is to be held Oct. 1, the
first such forum in more than
one year.
The Obama administration
had expected Iran to make an
overture a couple of months ago,
but that was before the Islamic
Republic’s tainted June presi-
dential election and the ensuing
harsh crackdown on election
Pakistan, Liberia, Yemen, and
Palestine. I say that I am lucky
that I do not have a moustache
and that my name is not
Mohammad, and everyone en-
joys the joke.
It is not so funny if you do
have a moustache and your
name is Mohammad. The fool-
ish rudeness of security staff
can be unbelievable, in many
ways.
An Iranian friend, who is a pi-
lot, tells of the insulting treat-
ment from U.S. immigration of-
ficials who can be particularly
arrogant and ignorant. Why was
he taken off for two hours inter-
rogation when his Iranian col-
league was waved through? It
was because his colleague was
born in that Iranian city, origi-
nally famous for its red wine
grape which is now popularized
in many winegrowing countries,
Shiraz. The immigration officer
smiles when he reads “Shiraz,”
and comments, without noticing
that he is holding an Iranian
passport, “Australia is a beauti-
ful country, welcome.”
If we judge by how our politi-
cians and their minions run our
airports, the terrorists have
won. But beyond this there is
more reason for optimism.
This Sept. 11, I started the
evening in the best internation-
al restaurant in London, “Savoir
Faire,” which is just opposite
the Korean shops. The
Japanese-speaking Iranian
owner, his Scottish wife and
staff representing much of the
EU serve international cuisine
to cosmopolitan visitors and lo-
cals. My Japanese wife and I are
joined by Irish and English
friends who live in Paris.
Then we all go to a late night
Prom concert at the Royal
Albert Hall. The concert is given
by American-Chinese virtuoso
cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, and his ener-
getic “Silk Road Ensemble.”
This group performs an eclectic
mix of world music from
Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and oth-
er Silk Road countries. It start-
ed with two flute players, from
protests. That has raised ques-
tions about the government’s
ability to deliver on any negoti-
ated agreement.
Trita Parsi, founder of the
National Iranian American
Council, which favors dialogue
with Tehran, said Monday that
the United States and its inter-
national negotiating partners —
Britain, France, Russia, China
China and Japan, entering from
opposite sides of the stage. They
unite in the middle with a har-
monious musical dance, and the
symbolism is not missed by the
audience. But the Ensemble is
not a musical museum. The mu-
sic is new, and the Indian tabla
player is likely to be Irish, and
the Irish folk fiddle played by a
Romanian.
Earlier in the Prom season,
the “East West Divan
Orchestra” also symbolized
cross cultural harmony. Formed
a decade ago by Jewish pianist
Daniel Barenboim, and
Palestinian writer Edward
Said, the orchestra comprises
musicians from Israel, Jordan,
Egypt and other Arab countries.
In 2001, 9/11 happened to co-
incide with the famous “last
night of the Proms,” and there
were urgent discussions about
whether such a joyous celebra-
tion of music should take place.
It did, with minor changes, and
a sensitive speech by the
American guest conductor.
The next year, some orches-
tras were unable to get to
London because of knee jerk
visa and security measures by
the British government. During
the final week of the season, the
government relaxed the rules
about carrying laptops onto
planes, because of complaints
from the business community.
The conductor’s last night
speech contained a quip that the
following year, unless the gov-
ernment became more intelli-
gent in its response to terror-
ism, the orchestra would proba-
bly only be playing a symphony
for laptops. The next year, there
were no such political problems.
In his “last night” speech this
year, American conductor, David
Robertson, pointed out how dif-
ferent all the instruments of the
Western classical orchestra are,
having evolved from traditional
instruments in Morocco, India,
China and elsewhere. He con-
cluded, “But when you hear the
music, you realize that there is
more that unites us than ap-
and Germany — should make
human rights a major part of
the coming talks, particularly in
light of the postelection vio-
lence.
“Failing to raise human
rights in the talks would send
the Iranian government a dan-
gerous message of international
indifference to the plight of the
Iranian people,” Parsi said.
pears to divide us.”
On Sept. 12, I went to the
Thames Festival, held near
London’s iconic “twin towers,”
the century old Tower Bridge.
The international centerpiece of
the festival — “A scoop of Korea”
— was organized by the newly
opened Korean Cultural Centre
in London. Presentations
ranged from traditional dance,
food tasting and taekwondo, to
the “Monsters Theatre,” a fu-
sion of music and break danc-
ing, and a film “The Good the
Bad and the Weird.”
One of the most moving mo-
ments was to see Korean per-
formers silhouetted against
London’s “twin towers.” At the
end of the taekwondo perfor-
mance, Tower Bridge opened, as
if bowing to respect its Korean
visitors. Then I remembered —
there were no security searches
or bag searches to get into the
The Obama administration,
echoing the demands of the
Bush White House, insists that
Iran suspend its uranium en-
richment. Tehran says it wants
to use enrichment technology
to create nuclear fuel for elec-
tricity generation, but the
United States and others sus-
pect that its real intent is to
make the fissile core of nuclear
Thames Festival, or the Proms.
Any criminal foolish enough
to bomb such events would score
one of the biggest own goals in
the history of terrorism. A world
trade center might perhaps be
perceived as divisive, especially
if its policies favored one nation.
But music and bridges connect
people across divisions.
Around the Korean contribu-
tion were organizations trying
to increase public awareness
about the River Thames and
other water resources. Young
children were busy making
models of “the invisible world
below the water,” and learning
how fish and other aquatic life
create part of a vital urban
aquatic ecosystem. Others were
learning how urban life if caus-
ing adverse climate change.
The most original presenta-
tion mirrored the Korean show.
The “Elastic Band” provided the
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2009
AFP-Yonhap News
warheads.
Ray Takeyh, a Middle East
expert at the Council on
Foreign Relations and former
State Department adviser on
Iran policy, said it appears un-
likely that Iranian leaders are
ready to accommodate outside
pressure.
“I suspect they are not in the
mood for compromise and con-
chance for children to join in
making music with instruments
all made from rubbish dumped
in the river, from dustbins to
plastic bottles. The children
gave “recycling” a new meaning.
As this was happening signif-
icant news story quietly ap-
peared, which is likely to enter
Korean history. A cargo ship
sailing from Korea to
Rotterdam had become the first
to use the “Northeast Passage”
along the Arctic Circle, through
the Bering and Barents Seas. If
this route comes into common
use, it will greatly increase
Russia’s access to East Asia and
Europe, make the Suez Canal
less significant in geopolitics,
and provide South Korea with
another trading route to bypass
North Korea.
But this is not entirely a good
news story. The reason that this
journey became possible is be-
cession,” Takeyh said.
In the few days since the ad-
ministration declared itself
ready to talk to both Iran and
North Korea, the response in
Congress has been less than
overwhelmingly supportive.
The top Republican on the
House Foreign Affairs Com-
mittee, Rep. Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen, blasted the adminis-
tration Monday.
“Iran and North Korea are
actively working against criti-
cal U.S. security interests and
allies and endangering global
peace and security,” she said.
“They are among the world’s
worst human rights abusers.
Yet, what is the U.S. response?
Unconditional negotiations
and unending offers of incen-
tives.”
North Korea, which claims it
already has a nuclear arsenal
and threatens to use it if at-
tacked, shut the door early this
year on denuclearization talks
with the United States, South
Korea, Japan, China and
Russia. Last month, however, it
announced it was ready to talk,
but only to the United States,
excluding the others.
And now the Obama adminis-
tration says it is prepared to
take up the North Korean offer,
although State Department
spokesman Ian Kelly told re-
porters Monday that no final de-
cision has been made.
Chester A. Crocker, who was
assistant secretary of state for
African affairs from 1981 to
1989, wrote in the New York
Times on Monday that now that
the administration has turned
Obama’s openness to talks into
active policy, it must be pre-
pared for any outcome with Iran
and North Korea.
“By far the greatest risk of en-
gagement is that it may suc-
ceed,” wrote Crocker, now a pro-
fessor of strategic studies at the
Walsh School of Foreign Service
at Georgetown University. “If
we succeed in changing the posi-
tion of the other countries’ deci-
sion-makers, we then must de-
cide whether we will take ‘yes’
for an answer and reciprocate
their moves with steps of our
own.”
cause of melting ice in the
Arctic, due to global warming.
In cultural spheres, global
terror strengthens global cohe-
sion, and that is a more effective
security measure than any air-
port X-ray machine .
In the game of global terror-
ism, the terrorists have often
beaten the politicians, but they
have not beaten the people. But
the threat from climate change
is far greater than the threat
from any gang of deranged ter-
rorist murderers. Let’s hope
that global cohesion soon be-
comes strong enough to address
that threat too.
Chris Williams is based at the
Center for International Edu-
cation and Research, University
of Birmingham, United King-
dom. He can be reached at
chrisunula@yahoo.com — Ed.