Posted by
arandomguy on Monday, October 09, 2006 12:34:26 PM
Bush announced this morning that he has talked to the leaders of Japan, China, and South Korea, and that they all reaffirmed their desire to see a nuclear-free North Korea. This news is important, because China had previously been North Korea's staunchest ally. Condemnation from their allies will certainly help the global cause to disarm North Korea.
Bush also said that the US is pushing for an extremely tough Chapter 7 resolution against North Korea, and the US seems to have support in this. Great Britain will certainly support the US, and China seems to be onboard (for the moment.) Russia as well seems to be in support of sanctions, though France has yet to release a statement (go figure).
Whether these countries will remain allied with us is for the future to tell, but at the moment they seem to be in support of harsh sanctions.
For their part, the North Korean's are playing the game of world opinion (and failing miserably, thank god.) North Korea's ambassador to the UN announced that the world should be applauding and congratulating North Korea on their efforts to "the maintenance and guarantee of peace and security in the peninsula and the region."
He also said that any UN resolutions passed against North Korea would be "useless," and that North Korea would not comply with anything passed. This requires the US and the UN to impose sanctions that North Korea cannot refuse. If we use the same empty rhetoric, and do not push for action, North Korea will get to squeak by - and perfect their nuclear program.
However, if the US and the UN can impose extremely tough sanctions - total embargo's, and a total blockade of anything exiting or entering North Korea, under punishment of military action should they refuse to comply - perhaps North Korea can be deterred.
Make no mistake - deterred and disarmed are totally different things. North Korea can be deterred from making war with the US, or any of the countless other nations in the immediate area. They cannot however, be persuaded to disarm. So, while diplomatic - albeit harsh diplomacy - measures can ensure that North Korea does not make war against other nations, it will go nowhere towards disarming North Korea.
North Korea will only be disarmed by a show of military force, one which the US and the UN must not be afraid to use, if only in limited amounts for the sake of disarming North Korea. Supposedly, North Korea has enough plutonium to make 6 to 10 atomic bombs. Well, one is out of the way, so that leaves 5 - 9 more. We cannot take the chance that a rogue nation with an insane leader is sitting atop 5 or more nuclear weapons - and developing delivery systems capapble of reaching the United States.
It is a chance we cannot afford to take.