The Santa Fe New Mexican from Santa Fe, New Mexico • A7

A-7THE NEW MEXICANTuesday, May 1, 2018 A ccording to many national securityobservers, foreign dignitaries andthe president himself, Donald Trump deserves a lot of credit for the seemingly successful Korea summit in Panmunjom late last week. Former acting CIA Director Michael Morell told CBS News: think the president deserves credit for getting us this far. No president has put as much pressure on North Korea as Donald Trump has, and a good Stephen Collinson nicely captures the conventional wisdom on this subject: way you cut it, President Donald Trump is entitled to significant credit for historic opening between the two Koreas. Clearly, credit goes to President South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told Christiane Aman- pour in Seoul. been determined to come to grips with this from Day of State Pompeo said in Brussels that would not be where we are today without President maxi- mum pressure South Korean President Moon Jae-In suggests that Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Even some of harshest critics are acknowledging his role, with Rep. Adam Schiff, for example, tweeting on April 29: think more than fair to say that the combination of the unpredictability and, indeed, his bellicosity had something to do with the North Kore- ans deciding to come to the All of this credit claiming is based on the notion that bellicosity and mum campaign pushed North Korea to the bargaining table. There is some surface plausibility to that argument. Coer- cive Bargaining 101 suggests that if Trump delivered credible threats and amped up the potency of sanctions, then he deserves credit for Kim Jong decision to come to the bargaining table. But even if the campaign did increase the cost of sanctions to Pyongyang, this kind of analysis is ridicu- lously one-sided.

It overlooks the fact that bargaining position has also strength- ened considerably over the past year. North Korea has made great strides in both its nuclear and ballistic missile technology. It also accidentally destroyed the mountain where it conducted its missile tests. Given these facts and, be fair, the ratchet- ing up of global pressure pivoting to negotiations is unsurprising. I have yet to read a compelling causal argument for friendliness that cannot be explained away by North Korean military strength rather than economic vulnerability.

The latter likely played a factor, but the former seems way more important. I agree Trump deserves some credit for the nascent signs of Korean comity, but not because of the campaign. Rather, Trump has done two other things that have helped get us to where we are today. The first is that he has the flexibility of mind and largeness of ego to want to meet with Kim. The meeting alone confers great legitimacy on the North Korean leader, but Trump is clearly willing to make that concession for a sit-down.

certainly a pivot from his and rhetoric from last summer, but entirely consistent with his bargaining strategy as president. The second thing Trump has done has been to signal, intentionally or not, that he is willing to cut South Korea and Japan loose in any nuclear deal. insistence to renegotiating the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement even as tensions with North Korea were high suggested just how little Trump cares about harmonious relations with a long-standing ally. refusal to exempt Japan from the steel and aluminum tariffs is another example. From seat, a president willing to toss aside allies is a dream come true.

These actions might have pushed South Korea into a more accommodating bargaining position. attitude makes it conceivable to North Korea that the dream bargain can be struck: one that removes the United States from Northeast Asia. None of this means that Trump will actu- ally toss U.S. allies to the curb after meeting with Kim. The rest of his administration would not be enthusiastic about this out- come.

Some of more hawkish aides are doing their darnedest to say things that scotch the talks in advance. So all of this could just be a replay of previous thaws on the Korean Peninsula that led nowhere. Still, give Trump credit: He has been will- ing to reverse his own position, and under- cut our credible commitment to allies in the region. That has helped bring us to the present moment. How it bodes for the future is a more dis- turbing question.

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He wrote this commentary for The Washington Post. Phill Casaus Editor Inez Russell Gomez Editorial Page Editor Robin M. Martin Owner Robert M.

McKinney Owner, 1949-2001 The oldest newspaper, founded 1849 The past 100 years From The Santa Fe New Mexican: May 1, 1918: Under the direction of J.E. Adams of Amarillo, an expert landscape gardener, the capitol ground are being beautified. Mr. Adams expects to have a stand of grass growing on the capitol town soon that will be a thing of beauty. He gave that dandelions only grow where there is a poor stand of bluegrass, and he intendeds to make the grass so thick and deep-rooted that there will be no room for the little pests.

The lawn is being barrowed to get rid of the grass which has not sufficient rootage, and to let air into the soil. May 1, 1968: Santa Fe voters gave overwhelming approval Tuesday for a quarter-cent sales tax to support indigent hospital patients. The margin of victory for the proposal was nearly 4 to 1. Approval of the levy was a resounding victory for the 70-member Citizens Committee, which was appointed last November by County com- missioners to study financial problems of caring for medical indigents and recommend a solution. May 1, 1993: The U.S.

Forest Service is proposing that New five national forests be placed at the top of a list of unprofitable federal timber operations that must being the black by the end of 1997 or face closure. Under the proposal, all national forests would be forced to comply with a mandate from President Clinton to eliminate subsidized timber sales, said George Leonard, associate chief of the agency. Logging operations would be required to break even, which means the cost to the Forest Service of preparing timber sales would match revenue from selling trees. None of New forests meet that standard. ith the recent death of formerfirst lady Barbara Bush, therewas a lot of mention of her devo- tion to literacy.

At her funeral, her husband conspicuously wore a pair of his famous signature socks this time with books on them to commemorate in his own fashion and her lifelong commitment to improving and spreading literacy. This is a good time to help our own com- munity organizations which are aimed at helping people to read and write. For exam- ple, Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe works with adults to stem this problem. Because here in our town, one out of three adults has difficulty reading and writing or are not able to read at all. Go on the website lvsf.org to learn more about its programs and how to help with donations, volunteering to tutor or making others aware of the work it does.

Linda Osborne member board of directors Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe Opinion versus fact Jeff Apodaca, who is running for New Mexico governor, is a candidate about whom I have neither pro nor con feelings, was asked on a Santa Fe radio talk show recently where he stood on education. His response was that he was against PARCC testing. PARCC is the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers testing. He then went on to explain that his school has been over- whelmed by PARCC for the entire month of April; consequently, his child has had no education provided for three weeks. That did not sound logical, but did sound like inflammatory rhetoric.

I would like to hear a rebuttal from his school. If Apodaca has complaints about PARCC, he should spell out the factual details and move on. But if he is purposely misrepresenting, misleading or falsifying the facts to support his own perception, then that is a problem. If that is in fact what he is doing, it would absolutely disqualify him from my vote for governor have PARCC testing down to a April 27). Our country is being destroyed by this kind of misrepresented and damaging rhetoric coming from our current White House.

This needs to stop, and it needs to stop at the ballot box for all candidates of either party. Ron Lattner Santa Fe Balancing act I have lived in Ohio, New York, Con- necticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Kansas, and now New Mexico, and Gov. Susana Martinez is the worst governor I have ever experienced. Thanks to our constitutional checks and balances Court rises to the Our View, April 27), the New Mexico Supreme Court negated her recent 10 vetoes, citing improper procedure. Dorothy Rogers-Abbey Santa Fe More than defunct After reading Joseph article accused of not delivering $24K in April 21), I came away thinking person (Ditzler) wrote an article about a man, who for more than 30 years kept his doors opened and satisfied hundreds of customers with his Ditzler only mentioned a silversmith.

I have known James Reid for longer than 30 years. Times have changed, and James could not make the necessary adjustments in his business. It is a difficult time for James and his family. Our commu- nity needs to support him at this time. Randolph Laub Santa Fe Unjust outcomes According to District Attorney Marco Serna, apparently it is OK to engage in white collar crime without fear of prison time plead guilty to fleecing WWII April 27).

You might as well put a bill- board up at the city limit saying as much. Why is this state so averse to putting people in prison who have broken the law, many of them multiple times? Between the drunken drivers with multiple arrests and those who steal an elderly life savings, we sink much lower. Joe Jones Santa Fe Cheaper parking meters Santa Fe parking meters are too expen- sive. The cost is hurting everyone, espe- cially shop owners. Businesses hear com- plaints constantly.

Tourists stop in for coffee or to a shop without meter shock. Reduce the rates, please. Dori Bennett Santa Fe Section editor: Inez Russell Gomez, 986-3053, Twitter BReakInG news aT www.sAntAfenewmexicAn.com die unmourned, unlamented such is thefate of the truly evil among us.And so it is with Thomas Wayne man accused of torturing and killing a 13-year-old boy. Ferguson was found dead in his cell late Friday, hanging from a sheet, his body discovered during a routine welfare check of inmates at the Santa Fe County jail. Now, the man who was 42-will not face trial for the killing of Jeremiah Valen- cia.

Ferguson serve a prison sentence of nearly six years for an unrelated case (he was scheduled for transfer to prison to start serving that sentence soon). His other victims will not see himpublicly held to account; his fate is beyond human hands, although investigators still are trying to determine the exact circumstances of his death. That keeps too much focus on Thomas Ferguson. Although a spotlight needs to be directed on how he died and how did the system within the jail fall short and allow this to happen it should never distract us from the North Star in this ter- rible case. And that is, how did the system, which is to say, all of New Mexico, ever let Jeremiah Valencia be near a man like Thomas Wayne Ferguson? Jeremiah, the son of girlfriend, was failed by adults in his life, as well as by the safety net that is supposed to protect children from harm.

The failure of Jeremiah must be tracked clearly so that improvements can be made. Ferguson, a violent offender, was serving out a probated sentence on an unrelated charge. Despite violating proba- tion, he never was returned to prison and the system seemed unaware or uncaring that a child in his home could be at risk, as Jeremiah so clearly was. Jeremiah was pulled out of school but never re-enrolled in another public school. Students can- not be allowed to vanish after withdrawing from one school.

Jeremiah vanished so well that his death went without dis- covery for nearly two months he had been buried by the side of a road. Isolated in his home, the boy suffered horribly. His own mother failed to protect him. Still awaiting trial in connection with his death are mother, Tracy Ann 35, and 20-year-old son, Jordan Anthony Both remain in Santa Fe County jail on felony charges of child abuse resulting in death and tam- pering with evidence. A jury will decide their fate, but at least they will face the justice that Ferguson, in dying, escaped.

Punishing the guilty is necessary, part of our system of criminal justice. Just as impor- tant, though, are the lessons that short life can teach us. No child should suffer the way Jeremiah did with brass- knuckle beatings, confinement inside a dog kennel and being choked until he passed out. No wonder the passing of Thomas Ferguson is so little mourned. As we investigate how he died, the most important question to answer is not about Thomas Ferguson.

No, let us think of Jeremiah Valencia: His life, his suffering and his lost potential. Jeremiah is what matters. OUR vieW Remember, Jeremiah is who matters An editorial Sunday (Our View, learning, do what will April 29) reported incorrectly that the United Way Early Learning Center at Kaune will serve babies to age 5 when it opens next fall. The center will open serving 3- and 4-year-olds with high-quality pre-K classes. Correction LeTTeRS TO The eDiTOR Commit to literacy tutor or speak out COMMenTARy DanIel w.

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