I don’t think they feel shamed by anyone in the west. I think they act in their own best interests, and generally they have a longer term understanding of those long term best interests than many countries, but in the cases you mention I suspect that they have rationalized it the same way people like you rationalize suppressing information on things that have gone on in Iraq or Guantanamo. I suspect that they tell themselves that it’s “for the national good” or whatever it is you people who think like that tell yourselves.
a country that has ZERO output of goods to the rest of the world... and that country threatens its neighbors and the US. nothing comes out of NK. no GAP clothing, no Nike shoes, no Playstation 3, no Wine, no cocaine, nothing.
Let me clarify my comments on China’s involvement with NK. I’m not suggesting that they are in cahoots with them. I am merely suggesting that they feel they could control them if need be. I don’t think Kim’s regime is very competent, and I suspect that China will have many well placed intelligence people inside NK. If you had a nut case like that on your border, wouldn’t you like to know exactly what he’s doing? As an interesting historical parallel, at least to some extent, remember that before they became enemies the Soviet Union and China were allies, and China doubtless saw the benefit of the USSR’s intelligence program aimed at finding out about the US’s nuclear weapons research. I believe it’s been acknowledged that Stalin probably new more about it than President Truman did for a period of time. Would it not make sense for China to likewise have very good intelligence on what NK was doing? If they do, and know that either NK isn’t a threat, that they don’t have the capabilities they claim to have, or that if NK gets to the point where they become a threat China could eliminate that threat with a surgical strike, or perhaps even sabotage of some sort, then they may allow this situation to proceed knowing that it’s not a threat to them at this point and that there is some other benefit to them on another level by having the partially US tied up with this. The bottom line for me on this is that it’s not conceivable to me that China wouldn’t have the ability to do something about NK, and yet they aren’t doing anything publically about this current situation, so there must be a reason why they aren’t.
China is more than happy to let NK keep Japan and the US occupied. They are more than happy to have the US get bad press and to stoke the fears of Japanese militarism. China supplies most of NK's food, fuel and other supplies. Contending that they don't have influence with Jr. is just plain silly. It is in China's interest to have Washington both bogged down and looking helpless in the face of NK's program AND in its interest to have the US threatened by NK nuclear capability. We aren't going to invade NK because even conventionally NK could destroy SK and do serious damage to Japan. But NK capability could be a toehold in the push to get the US out of East Asia which in turn eases China's efforts to expand their sphere of influence. We're in the worst position because we're trying to balance security interests of Japan and SK which are not the same, and trying to keep Japan from reassuming an active posture. Personally I wonder if it might be best to withdraw from NE Asia and see how China likes a nuclear Japan and SK. A few points on Japanese rearmament: Japan has for the last twenty years one of the top three military budgets in the world. They are already rearmed, just not nuclear. Japan's actions really wouldn't affect China's modernization programs - those are already at full tilt.
plus the Japanese have better hand/eye coordination and know how to work complex controls such as dual shock controllers.
My grandfathers are probably rolling over in their graves, but I think we should withdraw from Japan and give them back the position on the world stage. I don't see them as an enemy of America anymore. I'd even go so far as to give Japan and Germany permanent positions on the UN Security Council along with India, Brazil and South Africa. I'd also remove the veto powers of the five current permanent members and institute a 2/3 majority rule on the council.
I move back and forth over whether we should have a general pullback or not - from East Asia and Europe both. Yet I find that there are justifications for our presence so I don't end up concluding a general pullback is desirable. There is little doubt in my mind that it would be to our own benefit, but I am not sure about everyone else's. I'm not sure a nuclearized Japan, SK, Taiwan, and Germany is good for anyone.
Japan and Germany are our friends, plus we buy lots of stuff from them, BMWs, Sony TVs. They are economic powers and have embraced democracy and human rights (unlike our fun pals in the middle east)
your a joke. I AM KOREAN and this is a very big deal. i don't know if i can put it to you in a way you can understand, because you seem to equate worthiness to material/capitalistic output...but here i go. There is a bigger problem than NK not contributing memory chips to the damn world. It starts in the country itself. We're talking about 100's of thousands of childern being abandoned. Concentration camps. Cannibalism. Black market sale of human meat. Using food/money aid to feed the Bourgeois and army, then selling the rest to dirt poor citizens. I can go on and on...(im at work) On a basic human level this Kim reigeme needs to be taken out. We can all agree with that. I feel for my brothers. (imagine if the american civil war ended in a truce) Some people like yourself don't realize the extent of NK's problems are far beyond it's lack of ability to export playstation 3's. btw north korea does grow and export illegal drugs. they do that by using soil that could be used to grow crops
The nuclear issue is the sticky point and it isn't going away either. As technology expands around the globe, more and more countries could build A-bombs if they choose. I think it is hard now to keep the nuclear genie in the bottle then during the Cold War. Back then use of nuclear weapons automatically meant the end of civilization. Now the logic is creeping back that nuclear weapons are an option for a "limited" exchange. It will probably take some sort of nasty episode involving nukes to show the world again how horrible they are. Memories fade and WWII is quickly fading into the past.
And how do you suggest that the Kim regime get taken out? Doing so with military might would probably cause the deaths of many of Seoul's citizens. It would be great if NK ceased to exist, but doing that is easier said then done.
uh, im not saying we should use miltary force. The only way is through diplomatic nego. Let that reigeme/hardliners die out...kind of like China throughout the decades... Japan needs to back off though, imo.
I actually believe that the hands of China are tied regarding NK issues. The aids are the only strings that China can pull. But I don't think the NK will response well. China was targeted by sanctions and they know that sanctions bring hardship but, on a flip side, also rally the people around the ruling party. NK will be still NK. In addition, the sanction will hurt the average people. China may face much more NK refugees than what they are busily dealing with right now. As for a remilitarized Japan, let's be realistic, that is not something China can control. The only country that may influence Japan is the US. All China can do is to arm themselves. By the way, as one poster pointed out, Japan already has a huge defense budget.
The U.S. has just isolated Cuba ever since the little island was nearly the flashpoint of World War III. North Korea should be ignored. Isolated and ignored by the U.S, until it eventually implodes. Let China and Russia, or the South Korean governments deal with North Korea. The U.S. should slow the rhetoric and Japan should shut up on this one. I know the Japanese government doesn't like missiles flying over their islands, but talks of pre-emptive strikes helps know one.
i saw the CNN documentary too dude. I'm exagerating on making the place a parking lot for korean bbq! but yeah, NK has no valuable output to the rest of the world, but thats because of Kim Jong Ill. Maybe without Kim Jong, they could export cool stuff like Playstation 3s and people there can eat Korean bbq, instead of starving. Someone has to take him out, preferably an inside job, but that's not going to happen. he'll unfortunately end up like Castrol.
yeah but what if North Korea sends a missle towards Japan and it hit? or if they decided to send one our way? North Korea would not exists if they attempted something like that, but there's a chance they could do it.
Very true, if an errant missile hit Japan, expect some fireworks over the Korean pennisula. I know there is a chance it could happen, but there is a chance a lot of crazy crap can happen. Israel could decide to bulldoze the Dome of the Rock and start building a new temple. Not likely, but there is always a chance it could happen.
