Feature

Clearing North Korea’s name

Should the U.S. have removed Pyongyang from its terrorist list?

“The axis of evil lost a charter member this weekend,” said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial, as the U.S. took North Korea off its list of state sponsors of terrorism. In return, North Korea—which has “broken every disarmament promise” it has ever made—agreed to let international inspectors verify that it’s giving up its nuclear program. But that only applies to “declared nuclear sites,” so the deal is toothless.

Coming after weeks of “saber rattling” from Pyongyang, the deal’s “optics are terrible” for the U.S., said Victor Cha in The Washington Post. But despite its flaws and North Korea’s duplicity, President Bush is probably leaving his successor “the remnants of a workable nuclear disablement process rather than a full-blown crisis.” That’s progress.

Whether or not it was “the right call,” said Shmuel Rosner in Commentary online, delisting Pyongyang strips the terrorism list of any vestiges of “moral authority”—nothing changed to merit the move. Still, North Korea “is not going to gain a lot, practically speaking,” as the U.S. and U.N. will keep their economic sanctions in place.

Recommended

South Korean man facing prison time after opening airplane door in midair
An Asiana Airlines flight that had its emergency door opened midair.
Problems in the Sky

South Korean man facing prison time after opening airplane door in midair

Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins re-election in Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Emerging Victorious

Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins re-election in Turkey

10 things you need to know today: May 28, 2023
The national debt clock in midtown Manhattan.
Daily briefing

10 things you need to know today: May 28, 2023

UK airports facing major delays after passport scanning system fails
A row of shutdown e-passport scanners at London's Gatwick Airport.
Passport Problems

UK airports facing major delays after passport scanning system fails

Most Popular

Disney hits back against DeSantis
Entranceway to Walt Disney World.
Feature

Disney hits back against DeSantis

Censoring ideas and rewriting history
Copies of banned books from various states and school systems.
Briefing

Censoring ideas and rewriting history

What the shifting religious landscape means for American politics
Ballot box
Talking point

What the shifting religious landscape means for American politics