Posted by
Prysson on Thursday, October 12, 2006 9:33:47 AM
It is no surprise to me that the United States is dumbing down it’s response to North Korea. I suspected that China wasn’t going to go along with any meaningful measures because I have always suspected that China enjoys a strategic advantage over us by having North Korea pull our strings like they do. North Korea is after all nothing more than a client state of theirs. So after all the bluster and all the talk of serious consequences and stern measures what is the outcome? Well the latest draft of their U.N. resolution bans travel to people involved in the nuclear program. I bet Kim is just quaking in his boots. No doubt Ahmadinejad has already called for a halt to Iran’s enrichment activities out of concern that such horrific measures might be taken against his country. He has planned a trip to Euro Disney next month and so certainly wouldn’t want that to be disrupted.
Measures stricken from the resolution at the request of China?
A call to freeze assets from illicit activities such as counterfeiting, money laundering and narcotics. So one would deduce from this that we won’t interfere with North Koreas Narcotic trafficking and counterfeiting but by God we aren’t going to let their nuclear physicists take a vacation.
Additional measures dropped were the requirement that all states inspect cargo to and from North Korea. Now apparently it just says it would be a good idea.
The resolution does, however, state that North Korea is a “clear threat to international peace and security.”
This is precisely what I assumed would happen. Neither China, nor Russia have any real interest in curbing North Korea. On the contrary North Korea represents a clear strategic advantage to them. They both have a measure of influence with China having the lions share and North Korea keeps the United States tied up and distracted. Even more importantly, so long as America remains committed to the illusion that China and Russia are honest partners in all of this we won’t take any action that undermines their interests in the region. So while we dance around threatening and blustering only to end up issuing a travel ban our credibility in the world gets damaged and our ability to influence in other regions is diminished.
When America steps back from serious action particularly at the behest of Russia or China (or both) not only do we look weak but in contrast China and Russia look strong. Nation states that can enjoy thumbing their noses at us and threatening our security go unpunished because Russia and China are backing them and we don’t want to anger them. Consider what that does to the balance of power. How many more bad actors will sidle up to them looking for the same shelter? It seems China and Russia are only too happy to accept the influence this bring them globally while every time it happens our own position globally is undermined.
I just wonder what goes on in peoples heads that they sit in their back room and come to the decision that yes a travel ban is a stern measure. A nation hostile to ours tests a nuclear weapon and threatens to launch a missile with a nuclear tip and somehow our diplomats determine that an appropriately severe response is to tell them they can’t take a vacation but go right on counterfeiting and dealing drugs.
This response is indefensible. In the end it will lead to war because nations will feel emboldened to act further against our interests and one would presume (and hope) that eventually there will be a tipping point. A position from which we will not be pushed back any further. Encouraging them to continue pushing only ensures that you will eventually reach that point. Unfortunately, the longer we wait the stronger the enemies grow and the more costly bringing them down becomes.
As an interesting contrast Japan, who has no offensive military capability, has taken it upon themselves to impose strict sanctions on their own accord banning all imports and prohibiting North Korean ships in their ports. Amazing that a relatively defenseless nation finds the courage to do what they must while we, the most powerful nation in the world, can’t muster up the will to do anything but talk tough.