After Much Thought, My Final Answer on the "Axis of Evil"

Very true Colby, this is exactly what Bush was trying to do. Funny how right after the speech Iran started rounding up Al_queda members.

Coincidence? NOT !!

DaDakota

 

*sigh*

We had the best relations we'd had with NK since the Korean War. Some people were already beginning to anticipate re-unification with the South. Nobody actually believes NK finances terrorism anymore.

Iran is currently in an ambiguous state. Their popularly elected government is relatively West-friendly. Their religious leaders are... well... very anti-Western. Bush succeeded in galvanizing support against the US.

 

haven:

Who is this "nobody" you speak of?

Does anybody still think that N. Korea has abondoned its nuclear program? The general consensus is that it has not, even though it was supposed to under the reactors-for-peace deal.

Does anyone think that they don't have a large CBW program? The overwhelming consensus is that they do.

Does anyone doubt that they are selling missiles to everyone who can produce a shiny nickel when asked? This is common knowledge.

I fail to see how you can put such a rosy light on our pre-"Axis" relationship with the North Koreans. Talks haven't gone anywhere since 1994, and they are still as obstinate and irrational as they have ever been. Korea is no closer to reunification than it was in 1950. The only way to get them to do anything is to buy them off, and there ain't enough money in the world to pay for reunification. It will have to be done some other way, or negotiated with a different leadership.

I posted a link to this in another thread, but... http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/ptr20010110.pdf

It's quite long, but since you don't mind reading actual analysis papers...

The popularly elected government has no power. The anti-Western elements (the mullahs) control all relevant levers of state control: control of the armed forces, control over the internal security/intelligence apparatus, control of the press, supreme legal control (they regularly overturn elections and laws that they dislike)... The popularly elected government is window dressing, and everyone there knows it.

Those who understand this have not alrered their positions towards us. Those 200,000 protesters we saw recently were bussed in by the mullahs - bought and paid for. Others are still sympathetic to our cause, and would still like us to help them rid themselves of the mullahs - you just won't hear that view, as the mullahs tightly control all information flow in the country.

The truth is that the moderate-democratic opposition is in limbo, and has been for a couple of years. The truth is that only an outside influence can reenergize it.