The Command Post - Iran, North Korea & Other Hotspots - Q&A: North Korea's nuclear threat

April 19, 2003

Q&A: North Korea's nuclear threat

BBC News on-line:

What difference does the US see between North Korea and Iraq?

They are different cases. North Korea is already an isolated regime with huge domestic problems. Two of America's regional allies - South Korea and Japan - have an active policy of engagement to try to win Pyongyang round to a more compliant line. Perhaps more importantly, North Korea is believed to have the bomb, while Iraq did not. The view in the Bush administration is that action has to be taken before a country gets a nuclear capability. With North Korea it is just too late, so Washington has to manage the consequences as best it can.

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Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at April 19, 2003 04:40 PM

Comments

BBC: "The reactors, which were to be supplied by an international consortium known as Kedo, were badly behind schedule when the latest crisis hit."

Since 1994, the reactors consist of two holes in the ground and one foundation partly poured. Not to defend DPRK, but I do believe this is the actual proximate cause of the recent sword-waving and that Kedo should be prosecuted. If you want to calm a hungry leopard, waving a haunch of gazelle in front of its cage and then putting the haunch into a dumpster is probably not going to work.

Posted by: John Anderson at April 19, 2003 11:03 PM

Overthrow is inevitable. When it happens, guess who will be tasked with restoring order? We will do it, and by then, I hope that either NATO is moot, or that our new alliances result in the same. What is clear is that Russia is still an enemy.

Posted by: MikeAtl at April 20, 2003 12:13 AM

How about these differences, too? NK did not invade two of its neighbors in quick succession within the last two decades, provoking a US military response in the last one. NK does not have direct links with terrorists such as those who destroyed the WTC.

Posted by: Reid at April 20, 2003 09:42 AM

True Reid, however 50 years ago NK (with chinese help) tried to turn Korea into a communist nation (and not in a happy gentle way either), The war that ensued puts all the wars that iraq has done in its entire history combined to shame. Bad enough for the proven nuclear bomb to be considerd for use by the army generals, our president however having ordered its use only once before refused to allow its use ever again while he was in charge (visiting post apocolyptic hiroshima apparently does that to a person). Try as some people might there really is no comparison for Iraq and NK.

That being said i still think we should bend Kim over a post and give him a thurough round rodgering.

Posted by: Ronin at April 20, 2003 04:53 PM

>> give him a thurough round rodgering

I think a square rogering would be more befitting of the dear leader.

Posted by: Nick at April 21, 2003 11:17 PM