Former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton accused President Barack Obama Monday of appeasing North Korea, as he called for a return to a Ronald Reagan approach to foreign policy that would include a push for the reunification of the Korean peninsula.
“I think Reagan here would have looked at this problem and concluded that the only real solution is the elimination of North Korea, the reunification of the Korean peninsula,” Bolton told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren. “That’s what he would have pursued had he been in office.”
Asked about the continuing standoff with North Korea over its recent missile launches, Bolton described the rogue nation as “essentially a prison camp for 23 million people” with “the capacity to build nuclear devices.”
“It’s already tested two,” he said. “There is speculation about a third test coming up. And although it’s recent ICBM test was a failure, it demonstrates they are on a course, are determined to get a worldwide delivery capability for that nuclear weapon.”
Bolton’s comments were similar to what he said in a speech Friday at the National Rifle Association convention in St. Louis and in an interview with Newmax.TV.
He used those venues to urge an end to all humanitarian assistance to North Korea unless ways can be found to make certain the aid ends up in the hands of the starving people.
Bolton also told Van Susteren that Reagan would have taken a “much more aggressive posture” in dealing with China.
He acknowledged that “times are different now,” but he said “the biggest problem with the Obama policy is that he doesn’t have a policy” toward China.
“The most he does is send the secretary of the Treasury to Beijing to plead with the Chinese to allow their currency to appreciate,” Bolton added. “I think you need a line with China that says we’re going to stand up for American interests. We’re not going to accept Chinese economic distortions of global policy.”
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