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Originally Posted by KevinTheOmnivore
Was the policy of coddling him successful before?
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NK has been wanting nukes since the 80's.
In 1994, we managed to persuade them to halt their nuclear program. We had cameras in their reactors, IAEA seals on the hatches, and real, live inspectors in the country. Kim Jong Il was still a crazy dictator, but at least he wasn't going to be a crazy dictator with nukes any time soon.
In January 2002, Bush made his "Axis of Evil" speech. North Korea started spreading rumors about a "secret nuclear program" later that year. Bush responds by cutting off all aid, terminating our end of the 1994 deal. By the end of that year, North Korea has expelled the IAEA inspectors, turned off the cameras, and reactivated their reactors.
March 2003, the US invades Iraq, the sole member of the "Axis of Evil" that didn't have a nuclear program at the time. That summer, NK begins test-firing missiles and drops all nuclear nonproliferation treaties. The US response is more or less nonexistent, refusing to even come to the bargaining table without massive concessions by NK.