Maybe Pyongyang wasn't watching the news when Bush laid down the gauntlet on WMDs. Once again, the message is twofold: 1) If you don't have WMDs and we don't like you, we attack you. 2) If you do have WMDs and we don't like you, we give you money. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031002/wl_afp/nkorea_nuclear_031002121158 North Korea (news - web sites) raised the stakes in the nuclear standoff, claiming it had produced enough weapons-grade plutonium for half-a-dozen atomic bombs and suggesting it was already building new weapons. Analysts said North Korea appeared to be raising the stakes in an effort to extract concessions from the United States, which would indicate that Pyongyang, despite its bluster, was preparing for a new round of six-party talks.
Once a country has nukes, the options are severely limited. Bush is going to have to make up his mind about Iran, and soon. If anything, Bush hasn't given in to North Korea, and that might be a disastrous mistake. NK is a tremendous threat to the USA.
because they have nukes now? Every country that has nukes is a threat to the USA (and vice versa). Nuke has graduately and quickly become a commodity. And every country wants it so long as they can afford (technically and financially). Pandora's box was opened when first a-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Don't you think we should go back to UN now to ban nuclear weapons?
NK is a special threat because they might sell a nuke. I find this attitude extremely dangerous and foolish. While we can't possibly put the technology back in the box, we must do everything possible to limit the proliferation of nukes.
How are you gonna do that? by producing more nukes by example? That seems to be the direction that the Bush admin is taking. On one hand one asks others stop producing nuclear weapons, on the other, one goes ahead to make it more powerful and lethal. Doesn't make sense logically. If you wanted others not doing something bad, wouldn't make sense that you stop doing it first? Countries that don't have nukes certainly feel threatened by countries what have nukes, especially by those who actually used it before. I would guess that's the psychology behind the recent acts of North Korea.
North Korea is not a significant threat. They can't attack the US. China, Japan, South Korea have things to worry about. They will deal with things, with the US's help, and Kim Jong will be out of power before the end of 2004. He's bluffing. Like Saddam, he will have to learn the hard way.