NK to world - screw you!
 

The charming NKers gave their southern brethern some presents as you know, being the kind warmhearted people they are.

We'd rather not start ww3, and I don't think China wants to, yet. Maybe they're not ready.

But no response strikes me as appeasement. Perhaps at least take out the offending launch sites, immediately?

Pete

south Korea did respond. They fired back and sent more rockets north than came south. It is also "estimated" that they were far more N Korean causalities.

Ah, I was underinformed then. Thanks.

Still begs the question though - what the hell were they thinking, and why isn't China reining them in?

Pete

my guess is China is and has

we'll find out

The conventional wisdom, FWIW, is that NK is doing two things - rallying the country around their new leader (baby Kim) , thereby solidifying his hold on the country and doing what they can to get one-on-one negotiations with us. They want face-to-face with the US only, whereas we want China, Japan, China, Russia and South Korea involved in discussions/negotiations. They feel that dealing with us one-on-one increases the stature of their nation and their leader when compared to being part of a group grope.

This whole thing is about consolidating support within NK against a common enemy (us). This strategy is as old as the hills. Just look at how unified we were (for a few weeks, anyway) after 9/11. BTW, NK announced to its people that SK fired the first shots and that they were just defending the homeland against incursions from US-backed SK. Simple, really.

As for China reining them in, China has less control on NK than we think. This strategy being employed by NK government is to create an existential threat to consolidate its hold on power. Political survival is more important to NK than the possibility of a Chinese spanking.

Clinton made him pretty happy along these lines but George destroyed all progress that had been made within days.

Jimmy Carter tries to explain NK's motivation in an op-ed piece in today's WaPost.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...d=opinionsbox1

sound eerily similar to Iraq before Bush attacked.

Maybe we should understand their concerns?

Every time they rattled their sabres they got some concession according to a NK "expert" on PBS last night, and he figures that is mainly all they are doing now.

You have to love the NK lady news anchor, she is a riot.

Finnbow said it.


North Korea is fascinating to me. I would love to go there. I dont think that there is a more insane country on this Earth.
The Great Leader and permanent President, Kim Il Sung, and his son, the Dear Leader and Party Chairman, Kim Jong Il, have brainwashed the isolated North Koreans for over 50 years.

A truly surreal and mysterious state.

(Yes, I am a nerd :p)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU