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Clinton says no decision yet on food aid to N Korea

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U.S. will provide food aid to NK ( fairly sound assumption), so why delay? act now and avoid deaths due to starvation.

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I feel sorry for these people, I really do. But the U.S. should be under no pressure to provide food aid for three reasons. First, the poorest, most desparate will not receive any aid. The Kim regiem will supply its military and those most loyal. Everybody else (eg. those that actually need it) will be left to their fate, so why give any aid?

Second, I do not think that any nation is obligated to give aid to a country that uses a very large (I do not have the numbers here but it has to be over 20%) of its GDP for the sole purpose of threatening its neighbors with mass destruction. You want some food? Stop making chemical, nuclear, and bio-weapons, and put that money into agricultural production.

Finally, giving food aid only props up the Kim dynasty. This entire family needs to go the road of Nicolai Chauchescou (sorry about the spelling). That is to say that the only way for North Korea to be free of these people is for the the people (and yes, some dis-affected/ambitious military leaders) to rise up and deal w/ him themselves. Giving aid just delays that day of reconning.

Some will say, "Yeah, but Kim will never change. He will never make the necessary adjustments in policy to make food aid palatable." I agree. However, I do not believe that that requires the United States to step in and save the North Koreans from themselves.

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Lots of food aid and other things are provided to many countries even though it is obviously not reaching the real people. I do not see how this can be an argument against giving food to North Korea unless you re-consider all the other countries that miss-use relief aid.

Personally I feel food and medical supplies are essentials and therefore should not be used as bargaining tools. There is very little difference in not providing food and positive genocide.

Graham the main obstacle in the solution is America's interference. If America was to leave the negotiations then North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia would have plenty of ways to improve relations. It is the American Government and its back room deals that cause all the stalling. It was American Governments paranoia with communism that caused the splits in the first place.

Give the food and the hearts and minds will follow.

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How much of the food aid does the State Dept. think will get to the people? Most, will go to the military.

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Typhoon No. 5 is set to hit NK head-on. Look for further food problems ahead.

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The food aid should be conditioned upon a real quid pro quo... perhaps one ton of food aid per each MiG, tank or sub (operational). It's good to see that the international community is not trusting NK and delaying any shipment of aid due to the doubts of any aid reaching its citizens as opposed to it being funneled to DPRK military.

Otherwise, no aid should be sent... NK should be made to fall apart from the inside...

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Stupid move. Give them nothing. Give it to the American people.

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It's a tough call. In the end you will have North Koreans getting bags that say "USAid" on them. And I'm guessing that goes a long way to counter North Korea's propaganda, especially since that's the only direct contact most people will ever have with the US.

On the other hand, North Korea has done absolutely nothing except show that it wants to continue belligerent behavior to get what it wants. Giving them food might be considered a reward and might entice them to just continue the same behavior in the future.

I suppose you win or lose either way. But like I've always said nothing will change until we make North Korea China's problem. Maybe withholding food will do the trick. So I guess that's what I support.

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Many donor nations are leery of providing aid to North Korea, fearing it may be diverted to the powerful military or communist party elite. The DPRK is a very, very scary and BACKWARDS country, even by CHINESE standards, and the real rulers of the DPRK are not in Pyongyang but up in Beijing, CHINA, so CHINA should try to do something to help feed and keep propped up this little messed up wanna be country actually ruled by the middle kingdom a.k.a. The Peoples Republic of China Inc.

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