North Korea's Global Blackmail

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright May 21, 2010
All Rights Reserved.                                

            When former President George W. Bush called Iraq, Iran and North Korea the “axis of evil” in his Jan. 29, 2002 State of the Union speech, history has clearly vindicated at least two out of the three.  While no one liked Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, the real menaces were Iran and North Korea, proven by well-documented actions, to be far greater threats to human rights and world peace.  While al-Qaida’s Osama bin Laden and the Taliban’s Mullah Mohammed Omar were not included in the “axis of evil,” Bush elected to take the country to war against Iraq March 20, 2003.  Committing U.S. resources there undermined objectives in Afghanistan and prevented the U.S. from “walking softly and carrying a big stick” in Iran in North Korea.  Mired in Iraq and Afghanistan, at least currently, Bush prevented U.S. assets from confronting national security threats from Iran and North Korea.

            North Korea’s March 26 submarine torpedoing of South Korea’s 1,200-ton Warship Cheonan in the Yellow Sean near Baeknyeong Island killing 46 sailors constitutes and act of war.  Calling the act “overwhelming and condemning,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, reflected the vulnerable state of the U.S. military, spread so thin in Iraq and Afghanistan that it can’t respond to provocative adversaries, other than with empty rhetoric.  Condemning North Korea’s aggression with Japanese Prime Minister Yokio Hatoyama in Tokyo, Clinton stopped short of urging immediate action.  “We agree that North Korea must stop its provocative behavior, halt its policy of threats of beligerance toward its neighbors, and take irreversible steps to fulfill its deuclearization commitments and comply with international law,” said Clinton demonstrating a hogtied U.S. response.

            Results on an exhaustive forensic analysis proved the South Korean ship was downed by a North Korean torpedo.  North Korea responded promptly calling the charges “fabrications,” promising “all out war” should South Korea or its allies respond militarily or diplomatically with new sanctions.  North Korea’s refusal to end its nuclear enrichment or ballistic missile program complicates the picture, where the U.S. and South Korea fear a possible conventional or nuclear attack.  Unable to halt North Korea’s nuclear program, the Bush and now Obama administration find itself unable to contain the erratic Kim Jong-Il, whose repressive regime threatens world peace and global security.  Kim’s latest threat of “all out war” continues the same blackmail that has left North Korea a dangerous threat to world peace.  U.S. commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan hamstring U.S. options.

            Kim knows, like Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that the U.S. has become a “paper tiger” because of current military commitments.  Unable to respond to Kim’s provocations, the U.S. can only respond with symbolic gestures, fearing Kim’s million-man army could easily cross the 38th parallel into South Korea.  Ended in failure in 1953, the Korean War concluded with a weak “truce,” without a real armistice or peace agreement.  Thirty-five-thousand U.S. troops sit on the South Korean border helping maintain a tenuous peace.  Calling the recent report “deeply troubling,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, reflected the same impotence in the face of North Korean aggression.  Threatening “all our war” is taken seriously by the U.S. and South Korea, neither is in a position to go down that road.  No ally in the region wishes to risk war with PRK.

            North Korean Kim’s reported penchant for Beluga Caviar, Dom Perignon and American movies reveals the kind of eccentricity throwing caution to the wind about starting a new Korean War.  Clinton knows that the U.S. can only respond with rhetorical flourishes, prompting a feckless responses from the U.N. Security Council.  Veto-wielding members, especially Russia and China, have no intent on siding with South Korea or its strong U.S. ally.  “This act of aggression is on more instance of North Korea’s unacceptable behavior and defiance of international law,” said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, again demonstrating the administration has run out of options other than placating Kim.  Not one foreign government has called North Korea’s attack an act of war.  Obama urgently needs to wrap up conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to deal with emerging threats.

            U.S. foreign policy, begun with Bush’s detour into Iraq from Afghanistan following Sept. 11, has left the country incapable of currently responding to provocation from Iran and North Korea.  Kim’s maniacal regime blackmails foreign governments into acquiescing to his lawless actions threatening global security.  Supplying Iran’s radical regime with missile technology destabilizes the region, making the world far less safe.  “[North Korea’s] actions will deepen the international community’s mistrust.  The attack demonstrates a total indifference to human life and a blatant disregard of international obligations,” said British Foreign Secretary William Hague, reflecting the same international impotence that leaves North Korea to run amok.  As long as the U.S. wastes in power and assets in Iraq and Afghanistan, it can’t show the kind of leadership to deal with real global threats.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.