Fear the spandex-clad American diplomat!
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his South Korean and Japanese counterparts have warned North Korea against any 'provocative' moves ahead of a possible third nuclear test.
Yeah, restrict yourselves to shelling South Korean islands and sinking South Korean naval vessels--if you know what's good for you, bub!
Mind you, I'm not really blaming the Obama administration for this state of events. Clinton and then Bush didn't stop North Korea's nuclear programs.
Although I give Bush credit for revealing that North Korea was pursuing nukes despite the Clinton-era agreement. And I understand that given the state of Congress late in the Bush administration, had Bush attacked North Korea's nuclear facilities, Bush probably would have been impeached by the House of Representatives. For President Obama, I'll at least grant that he hasn't folded and extended an open hand to North Korea and agreed to shovel aid to them in exchange for fake promises to disarm.
There are limits to what we can do shy of invading North Korea (because we'd have to push North Korean artillery out of range of Seoul. The North Koreans are determined to pursue nuclear weapons regardless of our opposition:
North Korea has renewed its threat to carry out a third nuclear test saying it's the 'demand of the people.'
Yeah, the people demand nuclear weapons. That eating thing is getting old. And heat? Who needs it. Cold, hungry--but nuclear armed! That's a recipe for North Korean happiness!
But the people are only props for the regime, mere pixels in the picture the regime in Pyongyang wants to paint.
So while it is nice that we will be exercising in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) with the South Korean navy. It's nice that we'll have assets ready to fight, if it comes to that:
On Monday, the South Korean and U.S. militaries kicked off three days of exercises off the Korean Peninsula's east coast that involve live-fire exercises, naval maneuvers and submarine detection drills.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the maneuvers are part of regular joint military training that the allies had scheduled before the latest nuclear tensions began. But the training, which involves a nuclear-powered American submarine, could still send a warning against possible North Korean provocation, a South Korean military official said, requesting anonymity because of department rules.
Later Monday, Pyongyang's state media said the drills showed that the U.S. and South Korea have been plotting to attack North Korea and increased the danger of a war on the divided peninsula.
"The dark cloud of war is approaching to the Korean Peninsula," North Korea's official Uriminzokkiri website said in a commentary. "Our patience has the limit."
Yeah, our 50-year-long plan to prepare an invasion is almost ready. Just one more naval exercise in the East Sea, and we're at "go" time. Damn. Kim Jong Un may look like Cartman, but he's a clever one. He's on to us!
But don't believe this show of force will deter North Korea. Even if we delay them, North Korea will eventually get nukes unless we stop them. So sure, delay them. I'd rather North Korea get nuclear weapons in 2020 than 2013.
But as we buy time, don't forget that the ultimate goal should be the collapse of the North Korean regime.
