English Quiz 149

(English Quiz 149)

1. The agreement is also silent—ominously so, critics believe—on the subject of the North's existing nuclear weapons. The question of whether Pyongyang has them is no longer a matter of conjecture: last October the North tested a nuclear weapon (albeit with mixed success), dramatically raising the stakes in the standoff with the U.S. and its allies. The fact that Kim's existing nuclear stockpile is not mentioned in the latest agreement "is probably not an oversight," says Gary Samore, who was head of the counterproliferation program at the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) under Clinton. "That's an indication that the North Koreans are not going to be willing to give up their existing capabilities." It's hard to see why they would do so. Ever since Bush's speech in 2002 labeling North Korea a member of the "axis of evil," Kim has believed "he has a big, fat target painted on his back," says a former U.S. diplomat. "Kim believes that having a few nukes in his pocket is the ultimate guarantee that no one will try to topple his regime militarily. He's probably right about that, and no matter how much fuel oil or diplomatic goodies we send his way, he's not going to negotiate that away."
Q: 試翻 "The question of ... with the U.S. and its allies."

2. As Bush's critics see it, that's where the latest disarmament deal falls short. Former Clinton Administration officials say the agreement is a close facsimile of the Agreed Framework signed by Washington and Pyongyang in 1994. That deal called for the North to halt nuclear-weapons development in return for two light-water nuclear-power plants, which are difficult to use to generate fissile material for bombs. Clinton's presidency ended before the power plants could be completed and the projects today are derelict—evidence, in Pyongyang's eyes, of Washington's bad faith. But those who defend the Agreed Framework say all Bush had to do upon taking office was follow through, and several years of dangerous saber rattling in Northeast Asia could have been avoided. Says Graham Allison, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense under Clinton: "The bad news is that this is four years, eight bombs' worth of plutonium and one nuclear test" after the Bush Administration veered from the course set by the Agreed Framework.
Q: 試翻 "As Bush's critics see it, ... in 1994."
Q: 試翻 "But those ... have been avoided."
Q: 試翻 "Says Graham Allison, ... set by the Agreed Framework."