N. Korea no longer takes the U.S. security guarantees seriously

[Casper]

Alexei Fenenko, Leading Research Fellow, Institute of International Security Studies of RAS, Russian Academy of Sciences, shares his opinion about Korean crisis.

“The greatest danger in the Korean crisis lays in the fact that continued tension benefits all key regional players. First of all, it is favorable for North Korea itself, which uses it as a tool to exert leverage on other countries, mainly the United States, while demanding economic aid and security guarantees from the international community. Secondly, it is beneficial for the United States, which on the one hand, is seeking to establish a forced disarmament plan for the “illegal nuclear state”, and on the other, to implement a major commercial project: the 1994 Agreed Framework, under which the Americans sought to replace North Korea’s heavy water reactors with light water ones. Japan also benefits from this strained state of affairs. It is exploiting the tension to push for the re-signing of the United States-Japan 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. And it is certainly beneficial for China, as it can use the North Korean crisis to demonstrate that without China, there will be little chance of resolving the region’s major problems.

The current crisis reveals yet another negative trend: North Korea no longer takes American security guarantees seriously. The United States is bound by a set of obligations to protect its two allies – Japan and South Korea; therefore, it is conventionally accepted that the United States would initiate the conflict. Now that the Obama administration has shown that, unlike the previous Republican administration, it does not necessarily take so robust stance on defending its allies, North Korea has begun to “vet” the United States to see if, under certain circumstances, they would be prepared to abandon their allies in the Pacific, especially since the United States already has serious ongoing commitments to two theaters of conflict: Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Full version of his interview was published on valdaiclub.com

 

[Intense]

Ya think?????

 

[georgephillip]

Is the Obama Administration playing a game of chicken on the Korean Peninsula that could instigate war?

Most of what we read in this country lays all the blame at the feet of the North Koreans. For another side of the coin take a look at Mike Whitney's article, The Korean War, Round Two.

As sample:

"Journalist Gregory Elich explains the details surrounding the (latest) incident in an article on Counterpunch titled "Menacing North Korea":

"In response to the South Korean announcement of an impending artillery drill, North Korea telephoned the South Korean military on the morning of November 23, urging them to cancel plans to fire shells into what the North regarded as its territorial waters.

"The North warned that if the drill proceeded, they would respond with a 'resolute physical counter-strike.'

"Nevertheless, the artillery drill proceeded and four hours later, North Korean artillery fired on the island.

"In the first round, 150 shells were shot, of which 60 hit the island.

"Then 20 more shells were fired in a second round.

"In all, four people on the island were killed and 18 wounded."

 

[Ropey]

"In all, four people on the island were killed and 18 wounded."

Four dead and eighteen wounded?

And the majority of the island are leaving rather than live in fear. You forget that.

Just as the haters forget that Israel lives under that same fear of rocket attack at any time. You forget that as well when you post in that area.

I believe that those such as you are a hindrance to peace because clearly that is not your reason for posting. Ones such as you minimize death. When it suits you. And you maximize death. Again, when it suits you.

For that, you are a weak link into any road called peace.

 

[georgephillip]

Tell me what your standards of evidence would be if I tried proving to you wealthy elites in countries like the US and Israel use war and the fear of war to fatten their already inflated bank accounts?

There is a great deal of evidence to support the claim that the US was NOT the good guy in Korea after WWII ended.

John H. Kim, Veterans For Peace:

"Massacre of Korean Civilians

The U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy were directly involved in the killing of about three million Koran civilians—both South Koreans and North Koreans—at many locations throughout Korea, including Masan, Sachon, Tanyang, Iksan, Changyong, Wegwan, Ducksung, Sinchun, Wonsan, Pyongyang, etc.

"Several hundreds of civilians refugees were blown apart when the U.S. Army blew up Wegwan and Ducksung bridges in S. Korea.....

"Among the several branches of the U.S. military, the U.S. Air Force was probably more responsible than any other branches for the huge number of civilian killings because of its indiscriminate shootings and bombings of civilian refugees, villages, towns, and cities in violation of Hague Conventions.

"At the end of the war, almost all the North Korean cities were leveled to the ground by carpet bombing, including Pyonyang, Najin, Shiniju, Wonsan, Hungnam, etc.

"It is reported that the U.S. dropped some 650,000 tons of bombs, including 43,000 tons of napalm bombs, during the Korean War.'

"('A New Look At The Korean War' by John H. Kim, Veterans For Peace)"

Please remember each one of those bombs dropped on Korea produced a profit for investors as well as pain for Koreans.

 

[Ropey]

Tell me what your standards of evidence would be if I tried proving to you wealthy elites in countries like the US and Israel use war and the fear of war to fatten their already inflated bank accounts?

Are you personally indicting me? That's the first no no in actual discussion. That is if you were looking to actually discuss and not use the thread as a platform?

 

[georgephillip]

Sorry for the confusion.

I was NOT personally indicting you as one who profits from war.

Such creatures do exist.