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A confidential report for the Korean Embassy in Washington on key players in the U.S.¡¯ Korea policies is no longer so confidential after it was accidentally e-mailed to 800 subscribers of a daily political tip sheet containing news and gossip from around the country.
The report titled "Players in Korea Policy in Washington, D.C." is an analysis of the powers that make Korea policy in the U.S. administration and was supposed to be sent only to the Korean embassy.
The author of the report, Chris Nelson, accidentally emailed the report to the roughly 800 subscribers to his political tip sheet, the Nelson Report. The Washington Post reported that government officials in Washington, diplomats and think-tank researchers pay US$700 a month to receive his tip sheet.
A former journalist, Nelson wrote his report based on interviews with government officials connected with Korea policy and researchers. The report said the Bush administration's views of North Korea have not changed since his first term, and that core decisions concerning the North, such as negotiations with Pyongyang, depend on U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
The following is a summary of the report:
¡ß Vice President's Office = Real power concerning Korean issues, including whether to negotiate with North Korea, is with Vice President Dick Cheney. It's almost impossible to influence Cheney. This is because the vice president has a long experience with Korean issues, so he doesn't regard advice from outside experts as necessary. The key figure is Steve Yates, Cheney's foreign policy advisor. Lewis ¡®Scooter¡¯ Libby, Cheney's chief of staff and right-hand man, also places a key role.
¡ß Pentagon = The figures who participate in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's major policy decisions are spokesperson Lawrence Di Rita, the chief and vice-chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Peter W. Rodman and Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, International Security Affairs, Asia Pacific Richard P. Lawless.
¡ß White House National Security Council (NSC) = For President George W. Bush, there are no outside secret brains concerning Korean issues besides Cheney, Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. There is also National Security Advisor Steve Hadley and Deputy National Security Advisor J.D. Crouch II. Important issues are discussed with Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove. Reports related to policy decisions on Korea go from the State Department to Hadley and Crouch through National Security Council Asia Director Victor Cha and Senior Director for Asia Michael Green.
¡ß Congress = Rep. Jim Leach, chairman of the House Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, and Rep. Henry Hyde, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, are very influential, while Reps. Dan Burton, Dana Rohrabacher, Tom Lantos and Nancy Pelosi show much interest in the North Korea issue. In the Senate, Richard Lugar and Joseph Biden are influential on North Korea issues.
¡ß Korea policy during Bush's 2nd term = Bush's understanding about North Korea hasn't changed at all from his first term. Within the Bush administration, some are starting to believe that U.S. policy toward Korea has failed, while it is failing to cultivate capable, next generation Korea experts.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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