We threatened North Korea,
We did? Bush didn't make any overt comments regarding potential military action until February of this year, AFTER N. Korea ADMITTED they had been continuing their nuclear program.
But he didn't threaten N. Korea with invasion. He didn't say what form any threat might take, but quite likely it would be the bombing of the nuclear reactior where the processing is being accomplished.
But that's also quite unlikely. I don't see Bush doing that without it being in conjunction with a major military operation to decapitate N. Korea's government, so it's an empty threat.
Kim Jong Il is running scared. Word is out that he apparently was hiding for some 40 days during the Iraq war, afraid that the US would use the same GPS style munitions to kill him as we tried to use against Saddam.
And were we to have 100% confidence that Kim Jong Il was going to be in a certain location at a certain time, I'm sure the temptation would be great to kill him.
So you believe we should approach N. Korea in a unilateral manner, EXCLUDING all other nations in the region from any negotiations?
We should continue to provide food so his political hacks can continue their black market activities selling it to their favored supporters, and shipping them hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fuel oil so they can top off the fuel tanks of their Tank forces??
I can imagine the kind of parent you were (are?).. Let your kids scream and bluster, even threatening bodily harm to you, and you cave in and give them everything they want...
What wonderful life lessons they must have learned from you.
The alternatives to talking are: (1) Watch while North Korea builds its nuclear arsenal -- which they are now merrily doing -- and face the consequences down the road, and (2) Go to war now.
Uh.. GST.. Clinton and Carter "talked" to them in 1994.. We submitted to their extorsion, even volunteering to build them a light water nuclear reactor significantly more powerful than anything they currently have.
But apparently they didn't feel compelled to abide by their obligations and those talks meant nothing. I'm tired of talking. I want agreements that are binding and confirmable. And that can only be achieved if a number of nations are involved in a subject that DIRECTLY involves their own national security.
We have no right to "play dice" with the security of S. Korea, Japan, and any other nation in the region by advancing our own interests over theirs.
Btw, there are more than two options. Option (3) is to provide S. Korea and Japan with their own nuclear deterrent, thereby nullifying any political or military advantage Kim Jong Il believes he will gain by building nuclear weapons. M.A.D worked for the US and USSR for 50 years. It will work on the Korean peninsula.
Hawk |
