Posted by
arandomguy on Thursday, October 19, 2006 12:00:32 AM
Condi Rice, speaking from Japan today, has said that the US is prepared to use its full military might to defend Japan in case of a North Korean attack. This became a necessity - the reaffirmation of this alliance - after NK's provocative acts of nuclear defiance. It also serves a greater purpose - subverting a nuclear arms race in Asia that could put nuclear weapons in the hands of some very unstable people.
But I'm finally glad to hear somebody inside the US government say the US is prepared to use force against North Korea if the situation becomes bad enough. Now, I don't think North Korea will attack Japan - I don't know though, because KJI is nuts. I think he'd want to go after South Korea or the US forces in the region first, before taking on Japan. Even so, it is good for us to reaffirm our alliance, and even better that we say we are prepared to use military force.
This announcement comes after North Korea has said they plan to launch a second nuclear test sometime in the near future. I think at this point, it is vital that the US develop a cohesive policy for dealing with North Korea. The UN doesn't seem to be working very well - especially since the resolution cannot be enforced by the military, and hence, cannot be enforced at all - and our other options have been exhausted.
We need to send a clear message to North Korea that they cannot mess with the US and hope to get away with it. I don't mean a worded message. We can rely on the UN for strongly worded statements of distaste. I'm thinking perhaps a few buzzes of Kim's palace by F-18's at top speed. Or maybe a few bombs dropped in abandoned areas or on abandoned North Korean buildings. Not enough to really hurt anybody, but enough to show Kim that the US is serious about this, and that he cannot mess with us and get away with it.
We should follow that up by saying we're fully prepared to use our military power if necessary to stop Kim Jong Il from testing more nuclear weapons, and from selling this technology to people like Osama Bin Laden, or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - the last people on the planet (even after KJI) we want to control nuclear weapons.
Overall though, its good to (as I've said) here someone in the government say we're prepared to use force if necessary (albeit under highly unlikely conditions).