Kim Jong Il: Now you see, the new world is inevitable.
Lisa: It’s what?
Kim Jong Il: Inevit – inevitable.
Lisa: One more time?
Kim Jong Il: Inevitable! Things are inevitably going to change! Goddamnit, open your fuckin’ ears!
North Korea has just performed a nuclear test. Or have they? Whatever the case, a leader who spends precious resources on weapons and one of the largest standing armies in the world, while almost a third of his countrymen starve (Wikipedia: 22% are estimated to be malnourished; up to 3.5 million died in the 1990s due to famine) is clearly nuts.
So you are George Bush and you were going to invade a country no matter how badly it’s gonna mess up the world’s balance. You have two choices. You have one dictator in Iraq whom you are not sure if he has WMDs or not. You have another dictator in North Korea whom you know for certain was developing nuclear weapons and whom by all accounts seem more unhinged than the one in Iraq and who was openly waving his dick around in your face. Who do you go after first?
Spottswoode: Team, this is all my fault. I was overzealous in Cairo. I let racism cloud my judgment. I was so sure the ultimate terrorist was Middle Eastern, but I didn’t realize he was a goddamn Gook. I’ll never be a racist again.
I would have thought the answer was obvious. Not that an invasion of North Korea would have necessarily made the world a safer place. The alternative is for China to do something, anything. It is the only country left in the world with any kind of influence over North Korea. But how do you deal with a violent madman without resorting to violence yourself?
16 Responses to “Kim Jong Il and his nukes”
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a leader who spends precious resources on weapons and one of the largest standing armies in the world, while almost a third of his countrymen starve…is clearly nuts.
Actually that shows he is incredibly sane. Cunning, evil, and ruthless maybe, but definitely not nuts. Insane people don’t control a country for very long.
The alternative is for China to do something, anything.
I think it would be better for everybody not to do anything. The road to hell is paved with good intentions from people who feel morally superior.
But how do you deal with a violent madman without resorting to violence yourself?
He’s no more violent than most “good” leaders. Don’t forget how many “good” countries are actually fighting wars right now.
Also don’t forget how many people living in “good” countries are actually descendents of colonial rulers who violently exploited the local indigenous population, and who still remain exploited today.
jus hope that everything will come to a good cause, no war..world peace..
nov coming hor..hehe…
Andrew: true that, utterly insane – or utterly ruthless, cold and selfish. But about China, I disagree. They have to do something if they wanna avoid a catastrophe on their hands. Having a neighbouring country meltdown will recreate flow on problems.
And about violence and exploitation – yes it happens everywhere around the world but it doesn’t make it alright. Neither is provoking the ire of your neighbours.
Think of the money that can be spent to improve the lives of North Koreans instead of being wasted on one man’s ego trip. He could just as easily be remember for being a “great” leader by being benevolent instead of via bravado and oppression.
Leonard: no one wishes war, of course. Sometimes world events just defy logic.
Er, for the record, I meant he was NOT insane. =P
I don’t think there’ll be a catastrophe if North Korea goes nuclear. As I said before, Kim is a bad ass, but he’s not stupid. If he launches them at anybody, he’s going to get counter-strike.
North Korea – we don’t know much about it because information regarding that country has been blocked both way – going in and coming out.
So we can’t profess to know what exactly is going on in North Korea. It is only human for us to attribute negative and mystical connotations to things we don’t fully comprehend – “stupid”, “insane”
But if you think about it. Every country that has any sort of power in this world posseses nuclear weapons. They did their testing years ago when the sanctions weren’t as harsh as they are now. Another thing, North Korea has so many sanctions on that country that it’s a miracle that 100% of the population isn’t malnourished. I’m not endorsing nuclear weapon testing, but if you look at it as a bargaining chip rather than the actual use of the weapon, you may understand why Kim Jong Il might want to have it.
As for China … I’m South Korean and am already biased in my opinion against China. But no country has a right to do anything to another country. Not even China. And anyway, China is too busy rewriting the history books to show that they in fact owned all of Asia.
jktdo: point taken about the lack of information. However the sanctions came about *because* they started openly developing nuclear weapons. And don’t forget that all these years, China and South Korea (along with the US I might add) have been propping NK up with energy and food aids and still KJL spents what little money the country has on weapons.
I’m not saying that China should “do” something in the traditional sense. They already said that military action is “unimaginable”.
All I’m saying is that they should use their influence on KJL to persuade him back onto the side of logic.
Anyone one had read this book ?
The Third World War by Humphrey Hawksley
Middle east has been the flavour of the decade anyway.. It is not cool to attack east asia anymore.. that is so 1940′s…
Rodney ==> We are looking at a multi-front war scenario. With the Middle East as the main theatre.
Basically, I feel that the UN need to thread this issue very carefully cause over at the middle east front there is Tehran.
I felt that 6-nations talk will be completely out of the picture since they had proceed with the “second test”. It’s the implementation of sanctions, how China or the whole east asia in generally going to deal with this.
Will the Hawks get involve with its already dispersed and exhausted usuage of troops?
How will the UN play apart.
Do note also that Japan have Nuclear ability but had be withholding the “urge of declaration”.
Indeed, this is a crucial time.
Starting wars is always decided on economics and winnability. Morality never comes into it unless as propaganda spin. thus the projected ROI (Return on Investment) of an Iraq war wins hands down over a North Korean War.
Dubya will choose to invade Iraq over North Korean every time because
a) Russia and China will be forced into any North Korean conflict because neither one will accept a US base bordering their territory. This will create a long, tough conflict (ie the Korean war)
b) Iraq is seen as relatively easier to conquer as the US did pretty well in the first gulf war. whereas the Korean war ended in a very messy stalemate.
c) Iraq’s military capacity was known. hey the CIA sold Sadam a lot of his gear. North Korea is an unknown, may have nukes.
d) An instated Iraqi government can repay your expenses in oil$$$. an instated North Korean government can pay you in gratitude only.
Rodney / Lupin / Rob: good analysis there folks. Going back to KJL, there’s no logic to his behaviour at all. Rememeber that the US and South Korea were doling out energy aid to NK back in 1994, even so far as to help NK build a nuclear plant for energy use, provided that NK cease nuclear weapons research.
And what did KJL do? Reneged on the deal, causing the sanctions that have existed since (even though the US, SK and China continued with food and energy aid).
Those sanctions then cause KJL to feel justified to continue his weapons research to the point that he became a threat to world peace. Which led to the famous “axis of evil” speech, which led to even more escalation from KJL.
All the while his ppl are starving to death and his country is crumbling.
And now here we are. *phew*
in a really scary way KJI’s actions resemble the Team America satire of him. maybe he watched the film and was inspired. he is a movie buff.
his actions make sense when you view them through the lense of an arrogant dictactor who grew up as the spoilt son of a dictator.
Rob: It is isn’t it? Truth is stranger than fiction. OR it would be funnier if it weren’t also true.
have you read the age? there was a comment piece of which the gist was that what north korea is doing now is merely a ‘temper tantrum’ and the world should not overreact to this.
if the UN (who no doubt will be pushed to a decision by the US) imposes sanctions, north korea will view this as an act of war and will continue with its “temper tantrum”…if the UN doesnt do anything, will it be viewed as weak?
there has to be a balance here, the world cannot afford another war.
ally: the UN has to do something – it can’t keep letting NK push back the boundaries all the time. With China displeased, I don’t think that NK would do anything foolhardy. The world can’t afford another war, and neither can NK if KJL wants his regime to stay in tact.
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