MILNET Opinion: A Solution for North Korea

Well, we've waited to see just how the North Korean situation fleshed. We've given some time for the new diplomatic efforts to bear some fruit. Seems they've born fruit all right - sour and rotten. Not that the Powell plan isn't reasonable or logical, but like all diplomatic efforts that assume the other guy is rational, sane, or even insanely logical, the doctrine being attempted by the Bush administration is doomed. Not that anyone has a better idea for a peaceful resolution. It must may be that there is no peaceful solution. Some acts by others simply call for action on our part -- violent action.

Many MILNET visitors as well as those in Congress have remarked, "I see Korea as a higher priority than Iraq...more a danger...they have the nuclear weapons...they have the missiles now...shouldn't we be focusing on them?"

And while we see the logic in that statement, there has been the hope that diplomacy will win out. A Fox News report however, appears to indicate that the authors, at least, have given up. While we haven't quite yet, we will offer a more proactive, military pressure oriented way to push the diplomacy along. Just as the military pressure on Iraq appears to have moved both the U.N. Security Council to finally take action after 11 years, perhaps a similar approach will work with Korea. There is a danger though, we'll get to that.

But here is the approach we'd like to see.

If there ever was a country begging to be embargoed, fully and completely border to border, in the air and on the sea, it would be North Korea. Let's look at the list of transgressions:

Known deliverer of prohibited missiles systems (under the non-proliferation treaty) to Iran and quite probably Iraq
Suspected deals in the works with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria for these same missiles
Known producer of weapons grade material for nuclear weapons
Known deployment of missiles that can deliver the WMD in their stocks -- not only nuclear but chem and bio of frightening quantities
Suspected deals to sell all three types of WMD to Iran and Iraq
Absolute evidence of attempts to continue clandestine attack against neighbors South Korea and Japan
Deals keep turning up elsewhere as well -- North Korea is clearly dealing in prohibited arms to any and all takers
Lies repeatedly about their WMD programs and when found out defiantly refuses to negotiate and ratchets up their violent rhetoric
A repressive regime starving its people yet has an incredible military budget -- larger than most countries in the Middle East.

So yes they are a big threat. It is almost funny to look back at the liberal whining when President George Bush said North Korea was part of the axis of evil. "North Korea? Are you kidding?" whined the bleeding hearts. "They have agreed to stop development, they are good guys!" was the call. Now, suddenly, those same voices are saying, "Hey, we should be doing something about North Korea, not Iraq!" It doesn't take crystal ball to see that the "peace at any cost" pansies are at work again. If you can't stop the U.S. from putting pressure on Iraq and perhaps even going to war with Iraq by using logic or emotional appeal, then the next step is to point somewhere else and say "We just can't do both" and start the hand wringing once again.

Well that is pure B.S.

Here's the plan, one that we can do standing on our head.

You embargo the hell out of North Korea. No commercial air, land, or sea traffic. It's the siege technique from the Middle Ages. All of our antagonists in the world are reverting to ancient techniques to come after us, its time we reciprocate in kind. Let the bastards eat their nuclear material, let them use trade their military equipment amongst themselves and see if that will generate any revenue. It won't take too long for the North Korean people to boot their government out the front gate. Like the people of Iraq. Does anyone doubt that if we carpet bombed Iraq for six months that eventually we'd find Saddam and his twenty doubles hanging by the neck at the outskirts of town?

We continue to try to be such nice people, we westerners. But you know what, we are still hated by the haters and they don't give a shit if we drop food or sponsor an oil for food program. They see that as a weakness. And they exploit the hell out of it.

So let's give North Korea the pre-war Iraq treatment. We don't have to go to war right away, we just make the entire country a no-fly, no-drive, no-sail zone. And after we are done with the major fighting in Iraq, then we go into North Korea and start bombing the hell out of Pyongyang. Hey, didn't we want to do that in the 50s. Another freakin' opportunity missed. When will we ever learn.

Sources:

N. Korea bans use of U.S. dollars, 11/22/2002, Fox News
North Korea: 1994 Nuclear Agreement With Washington Has Collapsed, 11/21/2002, Fox News
A puzzling move by Pyongyang, 10/17/2002, Fox News online

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