Dear editor,
The article by Scott Rembrandt headlined ``Sunrise or Sunset Policy?" published in the Sept. 27 edition of The Korea Times is a classic one exemplifying the arrogant attitudes underlying American foreign policy.
After seven years of a blatantly bungled U.S. foreign policy, the U.S. author unapologetically presumes to prescribe to South Korea what it should and shouldn't do about North Korea, especially at the coming inter-Korean summit.
All of a sudden, perhaps in part to save face after its utter failure regarding Iraq, the Bush administration is striving for diplomatic success with North Korea. The U.S. government's previous stance _ attacking and isolating North Korea while branding it part of an ``axis of evil'' _ was a disaster.
Whatever progress has been made toward the coming summit has absolutely nothing to do with U.S. help. Rather, it is taking place in spite of blunder after blunder by the U.S., the wasting of time and opportunities and the utter failure of the Bush administrations' policies toward the Korean Peninsula.
It's amazing that Mr. Rembrandt deems himself to be in a position to comment on the Gaesong Industrial Complex when his country did absolutely nothing to help its development.
May I ask you, Mr. Rembrandt, as director of research and academic affairs at the Korea Economic Institute in Washington, why you not do more research into your country's serious errors in this part of the world?
Instead of assuming an utterly negative attitude in the form of childish metaphor wordplay regarding sunrises and sunsets in areas far away from your shores, why not try to be seriously positive and helpful?
When you talk about the conditions under which Washington will support Roh one really wants to say ``who cares what Washington thinks _ what has it to do with it anyway.'' However, because of U.S. power and bullying, small countries like South Korea have to take note of the world's only superpower.
And when, Mr. Rembrandt, you quote George Bush as saying the U.S. will only ``support an end to the Korean War (let alone unification) when Kim Jong-il gives up his nukes,'' one wonders how you cannot realize that South Korea is vastly more threatened by nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula than the U.S., the only country it must be reminded that has ever used nuclear weapons against another.
Lets hope something positive comes from this summit. If it is a success, it will not have been due to much help from the U.S.
David Watermeyer
Seoul