In yesterday's blog I basically vented my frustrations and dissatisfaction at our government's inability to come up with a solution for the problem with North Korea. I pointed out that we have had problems with North Korea for over 60 years, since the Korean War. But now, or at least for the past decade, and especially during Kim Jong Un era, we have been facing a real national security threat. No country in the world, either with nuclear weapons or without, has actually threatened to attack us, to reduce our cities to "burning hell", as North Korea put it. Yes, we have enemies who have threatened harm to us, most notably the Islamic Extremists such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS), and Iran still calls us the "Great Satan". But, their threats and attempts to harm us have been on a different scale, they seem to be mostly interested in taking over other Islamic countries, more of a regional war confined to the Middle East. That is true in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. Even the Arab-Israeli conflict into which we have poured billions upon billions of dollars and considerable effort for over a half a century, is still but a regional problem and does not have a direct impact on our national security.
The two military powers that have the capability to reach our shores with nuclear weapons, China and Russia, have never threatened to launch an attack against us. We are China's biggest trading partner and Russia, despite all the noise about their trying to interfere with our elections, would love to improve trading relations with us. Right now our relationship may be cool, but it is not in danger of escalating into a "hot" war as some news media alarmists would like us to think, claiming that we are engaged in a new "cold" war, etc. But despite whatever is being said about our "deteriorating" relationship with Russia (which was never great or "close" to begin with!), it is not anywhere near a nuclear attack by either side! The only country that has the nuclear capability and ability to reach our shores that has openly threatened us is North Korea. Now, call it what you like, a bluff, an empty threat, whatever. But the fact remains that they have consistently and openly threatened to attack us and destroy our country!
North Korea's nuclear program may have started much earlier, but it became known to the outside world for the first time during Kim Jong Il era, during Bill Clinton's administration. At that time the program was at an infant stage, supposedly (no one can really be sure) and Kim Jong Il used the North Korean nuclear capability, such as it was, as a bargaining tool in blackmailing the U.S. into giving economic assistance and making certain concessions. He was successful in gaining his goals, if not completely, at least partially. He forced us to the bargaining table and made us give him basically, much of what he sought. Our negotiators were naïve and came away from the bargaining table informing Clinton that we had succeeded. It didn't take long to find out that we didn't gain anything and North Korea was pursuing its nuclear program full speed! During this period, we were more preoccupied with the Balkans (Bosnia), Haiti, Somalia, and of course, the Arab-Israeli situation.
The fact that we were scammed by North Korea was somewhat irksome, but soon forgotten and North Korea and its leaders continued to appear as silly caricatures, tin pot tyrants, and really not taken seriously. At the same time, none of the countries and conflicts into which we poured our energy and tax payer dollars were a direct threat to our national security, and they still are not!
The situation has changed dramatically. Kim Jong Un, the son of Kim Jong Il the original North Korean leader who blackmailed us with his nuclear program, is not like his father! His father used the nuclear program as a blackmail tool, to lessen sanctions, to gain economic advantage, to gain actual financial and economic assistance from his enemies, primarily the U.S. To that end he succeeded. His much more dangerous and unpredictable son has a different agenda. It is a mistake to think that he is like his father, that he would be satisfied if we sat down and negotiated with him. If Clinton or George W., and Obama had stated that they would be "honored" to meet with Kim Jong Il, he would have been thrilled and perhaps things would have been different today. But none of the three previous U.S. presidents ever even mentioned about meeting with the North Korean leader. That, according to our foreign policy, would have been making a too great a concession, elevating a known dictator to a legitimate world leader status! So it never happened. But did you notice that when Trump said that he would be "honored" to meet Kim Jong Un, which took many by surprise, the North Korean leader did not reciprocate with much of a response!
Kim Jong Un is a nasty, unpredictable, psycho. As I have stated previously, the worst of the three Kims, worst than his grandfather Kim Il Song, the founder of North Korea, and worst than his father Kim Jong Il who was considered a nut case! Both grandfather and father would have jumped at the chance to meet with the U.S. president. This would have legitimized their position, their country. They would have immediately countered with arrangements for such a meeting. But such is not the case with Kim Jong Un. What does he do? The North Korean anti-U.S. rhetoric continues unabated and he launches an ICBM on the Fourth of July as if to say to Trump, "what do you think about that?"
I know that there are many out there that still think that Kim Jong Un's goals are the same as his father's. They think that all he wants is for sanctions to be lifted and for the U.S. to treat him with respect. That may very well be part of his goal, but he wants much more. South Korea had been bending over backwards trying be nice to him because they want to return to the negotiating table for the reunification process which was stopped. But he is having none of it! He recently openly announced that he has put out a "contract" to assassinate the former South Korean President Park. Keep in mind that he put out a "contract" to assassinate his own brother (half-brother) not too long ago! He doesn't care about being accepted by the world community! Obviously, having Trump say that he would be "honored" to meet him had no effect on him. When you consider that no American President had ever before agreed to meet with a North Korean leader, that was quite a concession on Trump's part. Yet, no reaction from Kim except to thumb his nose on the Fourth of July and launch an ICBM!
Today, North Korea is the only country in the world that is a direct threat to our national security. As I said, it is not ISIS or Al Qaeda or any other Islamic Extremists group, nor is it any other conflict that is taking place around the world. Yes, they all pose a danger to us in one way or another, but not like North Korea. It isn't even Cuba, which is less than 100 miles from our shores, it is North Korea and Kim Jong Un with his nuclear arsenal and ICBMs! Unfortunately, our anti missile system is lacking! From Alaska down to San Diego, California, we have a total of 36 anti missile systems set up. There are huge gaps, and no guarantee that even if an ICBM is detected and we launch anti missiles that they would do the job! Reagan tried to change the situation with his "Star Wars" program which was, of course, most strongly opposed by the then Soviet Union, but also domestically by liberal element in our government. It was ridiculed as being unnecessarily expensive and with no assurance that it would really work. That may have very well been the case when it was first proposed, but it would have been a start. Instead, the program was scrapped and we have been creeping along on missile defense system development. Since the 1980s, we have spent less than $200 Billion on missile defense, that is in the last 35 years! On the other hand we have spent over $1.5 Trillion on just two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.....and that doesn't include Syria!
I said in the last blog that we seemed to have paid too little attention to North Korea all this time and instead spent inordinate amount of effort and money on other countries and conflicts. When Kim Jong Un came to power we assumed that he would be like his father. Others thought that he would be "kinder and gentler" because he was educated in the West and was familiar with the West! But it seems that all those "experts" were wrong. He is the worst of the lot. He is completely unpredictable and definitely a sociopath/psychopath. Of course he would like to have sanctions lifted and receive economic help from the West, primarily the U.S. But, like I said yesterday, he is not a Chinese or Russian puppet, although he does receive economic help from those countries.
There are many who say that despite all his talk and demeanor, he is not so foolish as to launch an attack against the United States. But these people are forgetting one thing, Kim Jong Un is not normal, he does not think like a normal person. To compound the situation, living in an isolated situation as he does, and being the absolute ruler that he is, there is no one to counter his decisions, to try to sway his thinking to a more rational approach.
Japan launched the attack on Pearl Harbor thinking that U.S. would sue for peace after its 7th Fleet (Pacific Fleet) was destroyed. Japan did this despite opposition from Admiral Yamamoto, the very architect of the Pearl Harbor attack. Yamamoto openly stated that unless U.S. sues for peace within six months of the attack, Japan would lose the war. Ironically, although everyone thought Yamamoto was brilliant, no one listened to him. The Japanese, not even Tojo, were crazy like Kim!
Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa (Invasion of Soviet Union) against the advice of all of his generals! Many historians today agree that the end result of World War Two in Europe would have been very different had Germany not engaged in a war with the Soviet Union! Keep in mind that 70% of Germany's war machine was bogged down in Russia! Essentially, the "allies" had to deal with 30% of German forces, not the brunt of the Wehrmacht (army) and Luftwaffe (air force). Most historian feel that had Germany stayed out of Russia, Europe would have been under their rule. With U.S. stepping in to help, UK would have been spared, but the rest of Europe would have been under Germany!
I believe that unless our leaders realize that we are now confronting a real threat to our national security, we are going to be in trouble. I just do not understand why we continue to underestimate North Korea and the damage that it can do to us. Yes, we can level the northern part of the Korean peninsula into a nuclear wasteland. We could probably do that without using nuclear weapons. But, before we could do that, we will suffer some significant damage on our shores and American lives will be lost, on our shores and in Korea and Japan. South Korea will also suffer great damage, more than anyone else outside of North Korea. Japan too will suffer damage. You can rest assured that nuclear armed missiles will be launched against our bases in Japan. Okinawa will definitely be hit. Even Guam will be hit. So it will be a horrific, nuclear catastrophe in that part of Asia and Pacific, including Hawaii. parts of Alaska, and our Pacific Coast!
Before Pearl Harbor, most Americans thought that it could never happen. Japan a small country with no natural resources to speak of and so far away would never actually attack the U.S. Well, they were wrong. Japan may have had nationalistic zealots in its government, but no real sociopath in a position to make major decisions. Tojo was portrayed as a villain, but he was not crazy! Yet Japan attacked the U.S. Hitler was a sociopath and look where it led Germany, down to the last minute until he committed suicide in a bunker! Do you really think North Korea is only bluffing, that Kim Jong Un only wants to be treated with "respect" and have sanctions lifted? It is that kind of
thinking that has led the situation to reach this point. Kim Jong Un is an absolute ruler and he is completely unpredictable. He is the kind of a nut that will cut off his own nose (kill his own people and destroy his nation) to gain what he wants, which is unclear! Why do our leaders not take him seriously?
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