Basically NK is set to test a missle that could hit the U.S. even though they have agreed to the Japan-Pyongyang Declaration that bans these types of tests.
Now the question is what should the rest of the countries that were involved in the six party nuclear disarmament talks do? What is the best way to deal with NK with the obvious desired outcome being NK not having nuclear weapons or intercontinental missles? Are there any other countries that should be involved with the talks?
I don’t know a great deal about that area of the world but from what I have read, Kim Jong-il is a freaking nutjob. The idea of him having a) missles that can hit the U.S., Japan, China or the Mid East and b) nuclear weapons quite frankly scares the heck out of me.
Also, is this a ploy by Kim Jong-il to get consessions from the rest of the world?
I think it may well be intended as a ploy, but in my part of the world, it may also be interpeted as “cruising for a bruising”. I have serious reservations about the Bush Premption Doctrine, and I’ve often argued that there was not sufficient justification for the invaision of Iraq. I think a stronger case could be made for military action against North Korea. They already claim to have nuclear weapons, and are apparently about to show the world they also have a delivery system capable of reaching out and touching somebody.
The timing is a real pain in the ass. Our military is already stretched pretty thin. Another major operation may be doable, but risky. Gonna be interesting to see how this plays out…
But the thing is, there was never any chance of US (or anyone) militarily intervening in North Korea for any other reason than an outright invasion/attack on South Korea or the US. North Korea has a big military and NUCLEAR WEAPONS, whereas the countries that have been attack “pre-emptively” have had shitty militaries and no Weapons of Mass Destruction whatsoever. The whole reason that North Korea has forced America to the bargaining table in the last couple of years is their demonstrated nuclear capability. I’m not saying that this is pleasent, merely that this is what has happened.
As for dealing with North Korea- I don’t really think this will change much. I sincerely doubt if even a certified grade-A nutjob like Kim Jong Il will be allowed by his junta to launch a nuclear attack on another country (with the inevitable result of North Korea being turned into a glowing, smoking hole in the ground), and ICBM’s don’t offer NK much in the way of bargaining power that simply having an efficient military and nukes didn’t give them before (ie. freedom from US military action). I predict that the various powers at the bargaining table will give NK some more aid concessions, the NKeans will sit down after their military posturing is complete, and maybe if the links being forged with South Korea can get stronger, the whole authority system will gradually die away once Kim is safely dead.
I’m going to look a right idiot once I get vapourised a few seconds after I hit “Reply”.
This is great news. We believe in the MADD theory . The more countries that have the bomb the safer we are. Or so we were supposed to believe at one time. Mutually assured destuction will save us all.