North Korea

[Supercharts]

North Korea is, IMHO, pushing very hard for a confrontation with the U.S.A. I keep asking myself - for what purpose?
Food? Trade? Retention of political power by the 'Dear Leader'?

Why did N. Korea stupidly admit to a nuclear program of reprocessing 'rods'? Why did it admit to kidnapping civilians in Japan? How dense is the N. Korean leadership?

Why the desire to sit down only with the U.S.? Economically and politically N. Korea doesn't need anything from the U.S. If it tempered itself it could easily subsist by trading within ASEAN, S. Korea, Japan, and China.

My conclusion is that it's for the retention of political power by Kim Il Dung. Escalation to near open conflict would be used to strengthen his position and use blackmail for economic aid. N. Korea, no matter how isolated, must have, at the grass roots level, a full and clear picture of the success of S. Korea. I suspect that parts of the N. Korean Army may entertain the notion of revolt against the government. This may be Kim Il Dungs last opportunity to retain his leadership because the economy has exhausted itself and can no longer be self-sufficient.

 

[Jon_in_london]

Well the US has imposed a petroleum embargo against them and has listed them as the paid up members of the axis of evil.

Were I North Korea, I would also want nuclear weapons as fast as possible, seeing it as the only way to guarentee the US will not try to invade.

 

[aerocontrols]

Why the desire to sit down only with the U.S.? Economically and politically N. Korea doesn't need anything from the U.S. If it tempered itseld it could easily subsist by trading within ASEAN, S. Korea, Japan, and China.

My view is that North Korea wants to sit down with the 'US only' because then it is free to demand whatever it wants, give nothing, and blame the lack of progress on the US. The US wants to sit down with multiple governments because it will make it difficult for North Korea to lie about 'promises made' or react unpredictably to 'provocations' (definitely a favored strategy of the regime during negotiations) if multiple governments were sitting at the table.

I don't believe N. Korea is interested in tempering itself.

MattJ

 

[Frank Newgent]

What is to stop the US from nuking North Korea right now, before their nuclear infrastructure is complete?

1. Cheney's stock portfolio short on kim chee futures.

2. Nuclear Football mistakenly presented to New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick after an upset victory over the favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

3. Mrs. Donald Rumsfeld's recent choice of movie rentals - Judgement at Nuremberg - at Georgetown's BLOCKBUSTER video.

4. Body of leading world religious figure rumored to have been found in the Mideast, resulting in the cancellation of Easter and Attorney General John Ashcroft's declaration: "This changes everything. Go bomb them yourself, you son-of-a-bitch!"

5. Dawning awareness of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as an ally of the Bush Doctrine with his challenge: "Why should I let contradictions of reality diminish the expression of untruth so grounded in firm metaphysical principle?"

6. Naive amateur Neil Bush in Pyongyang carrying a Bible, a chocolate cake and a Thermos of highly enriched uranium.

 

[Mr Manifesto]

This is purely wild speculation, but perhaps NK realise that America can't afford two wars so close to each other, especially since a war with NK would cost the lives of South Koreans and Japanese allies? Whatever the reason, it will be interesting to see how this all eventually plays out. Certainly, NK are very interested in doing damage to Japan if it does come to blows.