Saturday, October 25, 2014

Failed State?

As we try to recover from our premature withdrawal from Iraq and prepare for a probable premature exit from Afghanistan, let's ponder how South Korea is doing sixty years after the Korean War ended its highly active stage.

South Korea is not quite ready yet to take command of their own armed forces in case of war with North Korea:

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that delaying the handoff "will ensure that when the transfer does occur, Korean forces have the necessary defensive capabilities to address an intensifying North Korean threat."

The agreement to delay the transfer has been discussed for more than a year and comes at the request of the Seoul government. There is no longer a deadline for the transfer; instead, it will be based on the progress of the South Korean military and the ongoing situation there, including tensions with North Korea and its ongoing nuclear ambitions.

South Korea is a modern arms-exporting nation. They built the smart phone and television that I use.

And they still aren't ready to stand on their own.

Nor is European NATO ready as the Libya War and Ukraine War have demonstrated.

Yet the fact that Iraq and Afghanistan still need our help to fight their (and our) enemies is proof that they don't deserve to survive?