Posted on 10/11/2006 9:58:21 AM PDT by John Carey
The Bush administration is handling North Korea's nuclear brinkmanship just right. It reacts without histrionics, demands action by the world community, applies a widening circle of economic sanctions, strengthens missile defenses, and works with allies to present a united front that promises Pyongyang increasing pain. Last year Kim Jong-il, the oddball ruler of North Korea, refused to return to the six-party disarmament talks, demanding the U.S. stop blocking his illicit financial transactions. When his demand was ignored, he launched seven missiles into the Sea of Japan. That got no results, so now he apparently has exploded a nuclear weapon. Already there are calls to meet Kim's demand for bilateral negotiations. But for years the State Department negotiated directly with North Korea and provided substantial concessions, including food, fuel and construction of nuclear reactors. All the while, the North violated the agreement by secretly developing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
A blast from the past!
Short of the Red Chinese cutting them completely off...which I do not believe will happen unless much more negative consequences are felt by Beijing because I believe the PRC is playing good cop (themselves)/bad cop (N. Korea) with us over this...as I said, shor of that, I believe we will have to ultimately use military force via surgical strikes to destroy the development, testing, research and reactor sites associated with the NK nuclear program.
If that occurs...then that will also send the appropriate message to Iran.
Just my opinion and thoughts.
Faux bomb. He's got nothing.
Yeah, "just right". He's doing a lot of talking and asking the U.N. to spank North Korea with 'sanctions'. In other words, he's handling this crisis just like a democrat, and that's why the media think his lack or response is "just right".
North Korean Nuclear Dispute Includes "Sideshow" News Accounts
By John E. Carey
October 11, 2006
Two “sideshow” news stories swept though the media in the last 24 hours to confuse the issue of North Korea’s reported nuclear test.
The first said North Korea actually had not detonated a nuclear device, but “merely” a very large conventional blast. Though that news was widely reported in very respected media, including in a story written by Bill Gertz in The Washington Times, and may well be true, we have to ask, “Since North Korea says it detonated a nuclear devise, aren’t we already on a very dangerous road of saber rattling and nuclear brinksmanship or nuclear blackmail?”
Announcing the intention to detonate a nuclear device and then not succeeding in achieving more than a large conventional explosion, it seems to us, is the difference between rape and attempted rape. Both are heinous. One is just not a completed act.
As Bill Gertz points out, this is an important news story to intelligence people trying to accurately assess North Korea's capablity. But to political leaders and the man on the street, it seems that North Korea has already committed rape or at the very least attempted rape of the peace and stability in northwest Asia.
The second news report that sent a ripple through the world media was that North Korea had achieved a second nuclear detonation. This turned out to be news generated by an earthquake.
This story proved (if anyone needed any proof) just how on edge North Korea has put everyone from the United States westward into Europe. But the northwest Asia region, including the Korean peninsula, Japan, China, Russia and Taiwan are particularly edgy.
What is clearly not a sideshow is North Korea's intentions and words. On Wednesday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry said, "If the U.S. keeps pestering us and increases pressure, we will regard it as a declaration of war and will take a series of physical corresponding measures," according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il "has clearly gotten the attention of everybody in this," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in broadcast interviews Tuesday night.
The only earthquake in Asia that matters this week is the fact that North Korea claims it tested a nuclear weapon; and the ugly rhetoric it used to follow-up with threats to use such a weapon in anger.
http://peace-and-freedom.blogspot.com/
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.