Not good news ---- The claim came as some U.S. intelligence analysts are becoming increasingly concerned that the communist regime may have three, four or even six nuclear weapons instead of the one or two the CIA had estimated. New atomic bombs would give Pyongyang more authority at the negotiating table, and may allow it to part with one, either in a test or by selling it, experts say. N. Korea Says It Is Making Nuclear Bombs Thu Oct 2 By SANG-HUN CHOE, Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said Thursday it has completed reprocessing its 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods and is using plutonium extracted from them to make atomic bombs. "The (North) successfully finished the reprocessing of some 8,000 spent fuel rods," a spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the North's official news agency, KCNA. The spokesman was not named. Accusing the United States of taking a "hostile policy" toward the North, the statement said that North Korea "made a switchover in the use of plutonium churned out by reprocessing spent fuel rods in the direction increasing its nuclear deterrent force." North Korea also said it will reprocess more spent fuel rods to be produced from the small reactor in its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang. Earlier this week, North Korea claimed that it was taking "practical measures" to boost its nuclear weapons program as a deterrent against what it calls a U.S. plan to invade. The claim came as some U.S. intelligence analysts are becoming increasingly concerned that the communist regime may have three, four or even six nuclear weapons instead of the one or two the CIA had estimated. New atomic bombs would give Pyongyang more authority at the negotiating table, and may allow it to part with one, either in a test or by selling it, experts say. The United States and its allies are trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programs. The North says it will do so only if the United States signs a nonaggression treaty, provides economic aid and opens diplomatic ties. The nuclear dispute flared in October 2002 when U.S. officials said North Korea admitted running a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of international agreements.
I think the opposite. Just like the tough principle that you don't negotiate with terrorists, I think we (the rest of the world) shouldn't EVER provide one bit of aid to N Korea again. To me, they crossed the line.
This part of the article really bothered me. The United States and its allies are trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programs. North Korea says it will do so only if the United States signs a nonaggression treaty, provides economic aid and opens diplomatic ties. It does not sound like they are asking for a holl of a lot. Bear with me on this. With China opening its self up to the American way. much like n Korea is asking. China has cought the "democracy bug" just yesterday there was an article about how much Chinas leaders want to continue to open its boarders. American companies come to China and impart the greed is good mentality on its people. It is not an active process, but it did create the Russia we all know today. And in 15 years Communism will be all but gone in China as well. we are creating a world econemy, and it is generally based on the American way. Our McDonalds will ring tienemen Square. their children will listen to Britney Spears. they will want the American way more and more as time goes on and their country allows more and more foreign investment. If N. Korea wants foreign investment, I say lets go. lests send over the golden arches, MTV, and frivalous law suits. If this gets them to stop building weapons that we should not even be making. I say go for it. so we make their people more wealthy. so we get them hooked on KFC. So what. as long as they are not a threat tom millions of japanese directly, and to millins of Ameicans indirectly. I think it is our ties with Japan that are keeping us from playing nice with N Korea. Besides all of this, N and S Korea are talking about unifying. If N Korea were softened by our capitolistic ways, they would allow the acceptance of a S Korean rule. Or I should say S Korea will have more sway in unified politics. And you better be damned sure S Korea will dominate the econemy. So they will be one unified Democratic nation likely with a healthy socialized medical program and such. will add more. how long is the edit allowed?
Just like the tough principle that you don't negotiate with terrorists, I think we (the rest of the world) shouldn't EVER provide one bit of aid to N Korea again. To me, they crossed the line. It's a nice theory, but then North Korea has absolutely no reason to negotiate and will simply continue to produce bombs and ultimately sell them to other countries or terrorists - unless we're willing to invade, which we're not. North Korea is in a extremely strong position here, unfortunately.
Your's is a nice theory also, but it means a precendent for eternal blackmail from other rogue Nations and no way to guarantee that they are complying...since the N Koreans apparently broke the last agreement, they'll take the aid and sell nukes anyway.
slow down on this. Our rule is that if they play nice we will too. So why dont we just do it. If they shut down all nuclear activities. Allow our Engineers/scientists, and inspectorsn to dismantle everything. offer to store all the nuclear waste in our big bunker in Nevada. Then build them traditional power plants in the form of Hydro-electric dam's and fosil fuel generating plants to replace their lost megawattage. I am sure we have companies like halliburtan that would love the billion or two this would cost. Hell its alot cheper than Iraq and they ACTUALLY HAVE WMD!!. Besides, with helping them make their country domesticly stronger. We plant that seed I mention above. And when N and S Korea re-unite we gain a stronger allie than we have an enemy now. Why are we always making enemies. Also the Koreans are NOT terrorists. They are a nation. And as a nation we must respect their right to govern as they please. If they are terrorists, then we as a nation must be concidered terrorists as well for our military actions in Central America.
VOR, They are not your average nation by any measure. We tried playing nice. They reneged on the agreement. Fool me once...
North Korea has learned well from the mistakes made by Iraq, as have most of the so-called "rogue nations". Build up your arsenal of WMD instead of complying and destroying any stockpiles. Do this and the US will not attack and will eventually cut a deal that is beneficial to said country. N. Korea will get what it wants from the current administration and the rest of the world.
They (China, Japan, S. Korea, US, Russia) are talking to N. Korea and they will make some sort of deal that is beneficial to N. Korea IMO.
Agree or not, but if we had moved carrier battle groups within striking distance off both their coasts, sent 2 or 3 brigades of troops and our latest weaponry to SK, moved an air wing or two to the region and made it known that other important, but unnamed, assets were being placed in the region and not been fixated on invading Iraq they just might have reconsidered going forward with what they are so clearly doing now. We will never know now, will we. Invading Iraq when we did and not concentrating on the clear and present danger represented by North Korea was a mistake and it is encouraging Iran to take the same course. It's my opinion, sure, but it's been my opinion for a long time.
Your's is a nice theory also, but it means a precendent for eternal blackmail from other rogue Nations and no way to guarantee that they are complying...since the N Koreans apparently broke the last agreement, they'll take the aid and sell nukes anyway. Either that, or you set up an agreement with verifiable compliance. Whatever happens, you're not going to get anywhere by shutting them out. They have nothing to lose - all it does is buy them time to produce weapons. The more they have, the better their position will be. Time is on their side, not ours in this situation. This is again why NK is in a very strong position. No, they're not talking. http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/a...korea.nukes.ap/ Publicly, no. Privately? Most probably - almost certainly with China. NK is very big on these "bluffs", but they do a lot behind the scenes.
The United States and its allies are trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programs. North Korea says it will do so only if the United States signs a nonaggression treaty, provides economic aid and opens diplomatic ties. This is pretty reasonable. I don't understand the problem here. If we're aggressive, revoke all aid and cut diplomatic ties, *of course* North Korea is gonna step up its efforts to "defend" itself.
lol...reasonable? This is North Korea's MO. Do something that nobody supports them on and then get paid for saying they will not do it. It's f--king extortion! Ok? It's is not reasonable. Hey GreenVegan...listen man I know you are already giving me food and giving me money but hey I need to start loading up on body armor and guns just in case you decide to stop giving me my food and money and also because I think you are getting ready to kill me. But hey, if you just tell me you aren't gonna kill me and give me more money and food then everything will be ok and I will get rid of my guns until I start feeling this way again and then I will do the same thing I said I wasn't going to do before. Try thinking about it from that perspective and tell me how reasonable it is.
no edit...in that last post I, Robbie380, was North Korea, and you, GreenVegan76, was playing the part of the U.S.
Dude, that's not "extortion." That's politics. We can't cut diplomatic ties, revoke aid and put ships off their coast, and not expect them to react accordingly. Look, I know the United States is always right and we're always the good guys. But look at it from North Korea's perspective -- we've included them in the Axis of Evil, threatened sanctions and war, revoked aid and cut ties. From their point of view, what does that mean? I don't care what it takes -- you can't allow North Korea to obtain nuclear capabilities. And big d!ck contests won't keep that from happening.
Great. An AP article by a Korean writer. Not to downplay everything or play the BBS Pollyanna, but many reporters think of the AP as Associated Propaganda. Plus you have the Washington Post owned by nutsoid Moonies. All of a sudden NK has gone from 1 to 2 to 6 nuclear bombs. Notice how the number keeps getting inflated and we keep buying into it. Now, it could be true. But we do have an administration whose semi-senior members are assigned to basically get the war drums sounding. The North Koreans recently threw John Bolton out of their talks for doing just that. A recent article in U.S. News "Use-Me-I'm Yours" and World Report read just as if it had been handed the editors by the Pentagon, whipping up fervor against Venezuela and all its so-called terrorist camps. Look, maybe they're terrorist camps, maybe they're not; but if they are, and if we know where they are (the article practically gives latitude and longitude), then take'em out. But no: looks like another attempt to discredit the mildly-socialist President. Chavez doesn't help his cause by being friendly with Castro and by being dark-dark-dark (much more Indian than European, so he looks all the more menacing to us in his photographs). Bush recently backed up an attempted coup; Venezuela happens to sit on a sea of oil. Chavez stayed in power because he was tipped off. Hey, I'm not siding with Them. N Korea is extorting us. But do you deal with the paranoid Great Leader Jong by daring him to attack? Part of the reason Iran and North Korea are jumping to acquire nuclear bombs is that they are privy to this administration's war list. NK and Iran are two of seven countries that the administration want to hit in a 5-year time frame. People, we do not want war with N Korea. To this administration, N Korea is a stalking horse for China. If you start a war (and posting our troops even closer to the NKs is just asking for a who-shot-first?-it-doesn't-matter-now episode), a really big war, you have justified a completely militarized economy for another 50 years. The same paranoid mindset that gave us this staggering deficit. And that is why I am afraid of what's going on in the world.
Yes it is extortion...and no the U.S. not always right, but it is pretty hard to argue that anything NK has done in this situation has been right. North Korea will go out and try to build nukes and do something we and the rest of the world doesn't want them to do and that they agreed not to do and use vicious language against us and then expect us to continue to support them? WTF? Then if we don't continue to keep them on life support then we are at fault for them trying to do something they aren't supposed to be doing? WTF? They want to talk **** and then they expect us to not care. They were talking **** long before we labeled them an Axis of Evil. The goal of their military is still the takeover of South Korea. Their main goal is not to defend themselves from us but to takeover another nation and it has long been their stated goal. Quit looking at it from NK's perspective...their perspective has been completely irrational and warmongering. Their perspective is to say outrageous things, do things they agreed not to do in order to get more aid, and try to acquire nukes and then get mad and expect to continue receiving aid if the rest of the world does not support their endevour. I understand what you are saying, but you also have to understand where I am coming from and how ridiculous it is to think we have an obligation to pay them off so they don't do something they aren't supposed to be doing in the 1st place. I understand you think we should do anything possible to appease them so they don't build nukes and I know that's what we will end up doing, but it is freaking ridiculous! Appeasement has had a history of not working and quite frankly I don't even know the viability of engagement with a government like this. I don't know maybe NK will turn out like China did 50 years from now, but I don't see it happening like that with the way things are now.
Ok I was fine with your post until you said the part about a justification for a completely militarized economy. I'll ask before I start saying anything....are you saying that the U.S. is trying to provoke a war with NK so we can have a militarized economy, as if that was a good thing?
