The Washington Brief — The Washington Times Foundation

Washington, DC, July 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Press Advisory                                                                                       

For Immediate Release                                                                          

Contact: Larry Moffitt 
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202-669-0387   

                                                                                                                        
Biden’s “strategic patience 2.0” policy toward North Korea

not working Says U.S. Senator Todd Young

Senate Foreign Relations Committee member says
DPRK missile tests warrant a more firm response from the U.S.

U.S. Senator Todd Young, speaking as member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said that President Biden’s continuation of Obama’s “Strategic Patience 2.0” policy toward North Korea is not working. He argues that Biden come down harder in response to recent missile tests by Pyongyang and what looks like active preparations for a seventh nuclear weapons test.

The link to watch the hour-long webcast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZsBFW_YuFk&t=7s

Senator Young, the senior senator of Indiana said, “I don’t believe the Biden administration has prioritized the threat of a nuclear North Korea. American leadership is essential at this period of time,” in his comments on The Washington Times Foundation’s monthly public affairs forum The Washington Brief.

When asked during the panel discussion if he thought President Biden’s policy toward North Korea, often called “Strategic Patience 2.0,” is working, Senator Young responded, “No, it’s not working.”

The senator added, “We should judge policies based on their outcomes. I know there are a lot of distractions around the world which contribute to missile launches and other things, so there are exogenous factors. I recognize that the world’s a complicated place. But goodness gracious, 18? Eighteen launches so far this year? I think that’s demonstrative of the fact that this (President Biden’s) current policy is not working.”
 

He stressed the need for Washington to confront the North Korean threat to reinforce its presence in the region, including maintaining a credible counter to China’s growth. “A stable peninsula increases the ability of the South Korean government to better deter the Chinese Communist Party’s growing desire to dominate all of East Asia,” he said.

Senator Young was supportive of President Biden’s recent visit to South Korea and Japan, while cautioning that “U.S. policy in recent years has not been clear on what the goals of U.S. policy are or how we will attain them, and I believe this needs to change. The American people rightfully demand not just competency, but also coherence in our foreign policy.”
 

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, recently inaugurated, has signaled his hopes for a stronger united front of Washington and Seoul to counter North Korean intimations that it may go ahead with a nuclear test explosion, ending five years of no tests. There has also been a steady ratcheting up of tensions with China throughout the region.
 

Senator Young commented on the accelerated pace of North Korea’s missile tests, saying “The 18th test of this year (June 5), must be a wake-up call for the administration about the threat facing us from the North. Going forward, we need to balance a coherent strategy of engagement with one of restraint in this vital region of the world.”

Senator Young considered the holistic perspective of threats posed by North Korea and China. He cited South Korea’s strong position in manufacturing, saying they have a “major role to play in this generational challenge.” He added, “Similarly to how discussions about America’s role in securing Taiwan must include Taiwan’s role in the global economy, so too must these realities be reflected in our commitments to South Korea,” the senator said.
 

Senator Young said South Korea’s Samsung “is a key player in the global supply of semiconductors. If they’re threatened, every U.S. industry will be implicated and affected, as we’re seeing today with the chip shortage.”

Said the U.S. reliance on foreign manufacturers to supply semiconductors is regrettable. He called semiconductors the “feedstock” and “arguably more important than oil” to maintaining a modern economy. “All of the advanced semiconductors, the chips, the microprocessors that are used in our missile systems, that are used for our most advanced technologies, all of them are developed overseas,” he said.
 

Senator Young was a guest panelist on the monthly webcast, The Washington Brief with regular participants Amb. Joseph DeTrani, a former CIA official and longtime diplomatic adviser on U.S. policy in Asia, and Dr. Alexandre Mansourov, a professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies. Former congressman Dan Burton of Indiana who served on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee for many years, was also a panelist.

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• The Washington Brief

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