I wanted to know the general populace's opinion on Kim. I read an article in US News & World Report that portrayed him as a military genius "well-schooled in the art of brinkmanship." I have my own opinions, but I'd like to know everybody else's. Vive le AFC! OPArse
The problem is that Kim has No Dong. Really. Stop snickering. "No Dong" is the name of North Korea's best missile.
Well-schooled in the art of brinksmanship is brilliant when you're dealing with a lesser power. Well-schooled in the art of brinksmanship when you're dealing with a world power is a recipe for getting your @ss kicked. Methinks GWB will get the better of him in the end, as he has done to all of his foes who underestimate him.
First of all it's Kim Jong Il, second of all, that guy is an idiot, he's nothing compared to his great father Kim Il Sung.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030114/ap_on_re_as/nkorea_hating_america_2 Good reading.
Kim Jong Il is banking that he can hide behind China since the North Koreans live or die by how much China is willing to protect them. As long as the Chinese seem like they'll intervene or do something nasty to our access to their markets and cheap labor, Dumbya can huff and puff about the NKs and bully Iraq to boost his approval rating since he's getting his fool ass kicked by the economy but he won't have the stones to touch the NKs.
Exclusive National Review Interview with Kim Jong Il http://nationalreview.com/goldberg/cosmo011603.asp
President Bush speaks out on the North Korean crisis: http://www.theonion.com/onion3901/bush_on_north_korea.html
Why is America bribing North Korea to stop it's Nuclear program. Why is alright for the US to stockpile nuclear weapons but doesn't like the idea of anyone else having them. It's not like Iraq where Saddam has said that he would use them. North Korea has just said it wants them for their own protection. Whats wrong with that. People are dying of starvation to support the nuclear program but that's really nothing to do with America. Alternatively one might argue that Korea is just haggling for big fat hand-out. But why would a country who dislikes America so much be willing to accept help from them. And any money that the US did give to N. Korea would only line the coffers of the governments defense budget. The man on the street wouldn't see a penny of it. The whole thing just doesn't add up to me at all.
Because it is one of many possible ways to remove nuclear weapons or weapon-grade plutonium production from the peninsula. It is a tactic frequently applied to other problems - see "american farm subsidies" For the simple fact that the US trusts itself, and its closest allies, but does not trust others. Simple belief in your own government. A trait shared by people of many countries. The english trust their government with nukes. The french trust their government with nukes. Russians probably trust their government with nukes as well. But maybe a nation of strong democratic traditions, high standards of education, a sense of conscience after using the only wartime nuclear weapons, and a pretty healthy economy is a bit less likely to sell a nuclear bomb to the highest bidder because it is the only valuable export it has. Or not. To protect them against what? The concerted efforts of the international community to replace their leader with someone slightly more rational? That's all they're really using their nuclear program for. So you're implying we're damned if we give them money because that won't help people on the street. And we're damned if we apply sanctions like in Iraq, that really don't help people on the street. I'd like to hear any rational solutions, maybe even a non-violent one or two.
Thanks for your comments but it still isn't any clearer in my mind. Read this and you'll understand why I'm confused: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2621349.stm The whole thing is a no win situation. Korea has timed it perfectly with the US on the brink of war with Iraq. How much money would it take to buy out NK. A blank cheque? Do you really think NK will just hand over all the uranium and other components. It's just going to create more and more tension.