Andrew Coyne has a fine, if depressing, column on the North Korea developments:
We simply do not have the stomach for this fight. We will learn no lessons from this latest crisis, as we have learned none from those before. But be assured our adversaries will. In Iran, they are watching and learning from North Korea's example, as North Korea had learned from Iran's, each discovering in its turn that there are no checks on its ambitions, nor any world to stop it. And when, as the wisest heads advise, we abandon Afghanistan to the Taliban, and Iraq to al-Qaeda, the nuclear bazaar really will be open.
It is a depressing situation, to be sure. A couple of years ago I never would have believed we'd let Iran's nuclear program be developed with impunity, but now it looks like facing a nuclear Iran and their terrorist proxies is inevitable.
I 91% agree with the article.
I'm actually really amused by all the nations of the world expressing their "outrage" - what outrage??? I'M outraged at the nations of the world!
I disagree with Coyne, though - this IS Bush's fault, just as it is Blair's, Martin's, Chretien's, Chirac's - I let Harper off because he's only been around 8 months. Going back in time, the list just gets bigger.
I'm disgusted with all our "leaders" - they've all badly fumbled this one, imo.
George is right :) GBS.
Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
GEORGE SANTAYANA:
We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW:
The UN is not only ineffective, it is a great danger to the world. The US should give up on it.
Yeah, it sucks to say it, but - I too wonder if the UN's time has come. I'd support a United Democracies and see what happens there, it'd be worthwhile to try out.
I believe nothing will change until one of these countries develops a usuable nuclear weapon and actually uses it on a democratic country. Maybe then the people of the free world will wake and decide its time to obliterate those who threaten our way of life.
All these "Outraged" nations are sucking their thumbs and have been all along. They've never had the guts to stand up and denounce the bastards in NK or anywhere else but have allways been ready to blame the US fror every damned thing that goes wrong in their view. Cowards, ingrates and useless hypocrites all of them.
The UN is actually Jihad central, if you think about it. Reflect: the only refugee group in history to have its own UN agency are the Arabs of Palestine. It is now crystal clear that all along the Arab-Israel conflict has been the main front in the global jihad and the UN is head office.
I've been arguing for banning the UN for a long time and it looks like I'll soon get my wish with the appointment of S. Korea's Ban :).
Bloody sickening.
The US is called upon to save the World, ungrateful louts included, critized when they do act and blamed when things don't pan out to suit the Bastards who do nothing. Now the world is in deep do-do, waiting for the much maligned George Bush to lead. We could always offer Jack Layton as a buffer to prevent Bush from harming anyone.
It's been known for years Little Kimmie of the
rogue state of NK was into nuclear technology. The Western World sat on their collective arses and waited, then Kaboom! Now the big punishment is the talk du jour around the World, useless sanctions, what else?
Now let's move on to another Madman at the helm in Iran and sit on our arses and wait for his big Kaboom! Then we'll all chat about punishment. It is to weep.
What are we waiting for? They can't be trusted, no point talking to them, they LIE. It's them or us.
No talk, no warning, no explanation.
Just a big hole where their lab was, and where dear leader used to be.
I think it is about time that all democratic countries drop out of the useless UN and form their own organization such as the nations involved in NATO. Do we really have to wait for some apocolyptic event to happen before our elected leaders decide that appeasement does not work. It did not work prior to WWII and it will not work today. Nuclear weapons detonated in the atmosphere above these rogue states would at least open their eyes. Michael Coren said this in the Toronto Sun not that long ago and I agree with his stated opinion on this. Actually I was surprised that I did not hear a lot of protestations for his view. Of course I am not privy to his personal email which was probably overflowing with those who live in a world that seens to be AOkay.
Aw, just send he UN a copy of the Marquess of Queensbury Rules -- you know referee idea. Let them rework it from there.
Let them listen to Yo Yo Ma on their own time. The cello was too reminiscent of Nero's fiddle for my liking. Talk about history repeating itself ad nauseum.
Keep in mind the buck stops at the top (literally) with Kofi Annan. Go Ban Ki Moon. Showplace principles and it will turn out a okay.
Liz J - you nailed it. Here's a question for the leaders of Europe, China and Russia, just where do you think when this little nutball finally lets lose his nuclear rage, is it going to land? Who is going to be the object of his wrath that day? Same with Iran, if Israel ever has its back against the wall, picks up the Iranian bomb on its radar, it will let loose everything its got, as it should, just how has Europe calculated surviving the fall-out from right across that small Mediterrean Sea? What's the quality of their lives after that? It's as if there is a moronic disconnect in Europe.
This is the world's problem. Reagan, pragmatist that he was, doesn't look so crazy for wanting his NA missile shield program researched and funded. If I remember correctly at the time, the libs in Canada wanted no part of it.
Coyne and Steyn are both depressed and with good reason.
Why would*nt the Jihad gather steam over the years?
The West and even Belarus have been pulling punches since well before the 1983 Hezbollah bombing of 241 marines in Lebanon
Carter and Clinton allowed years of gathering steam for the Hez, Taliban and Al Qaeda. Now you can*t blame the Jihadists for being *pumped*.
An avalanch is harder to stop than a snowball. = TG
Penny, you gotta know the wind blows from the west and the north, which would be the direction that Europe is ie, the fallout cloud will cover the middle east not Europe, so no big deal if Ahmawanajihad takes out Israel. sarcasm off/
eyesopen Indeed!
UFN: United Free Nations?
Personnally, I can't believe we haven't given them nuclear weapons already. The kind that fall out the bottom of a B52, and only slightly used.
Yes, I knew I was in trouble when I was visiting relatives in Dresden back in 1986.
My honeymoon in Europe during the summer of Chernobyl. Radioactive love.
Hey it just keeps getting better.
Oh hang it all where are the blessed iodine pills?
I agree with 98% of what Andrew Coyne writes. He lost me at Saddam but that's neither here nor there.
May I say, as a person on the left, I read Andrew Coyne more than anyone to get 'the other side's' point of view. Thanks for the post.
One interesting factor that is not acknowledged is that South Korean has a very very very large population that believe in a true and living God who can answer prayers. And they are praying concerning this problem (North Korea). It will be very interesting to see if there is an answer (supernaturally speaking that is)
I don't know. This just might be the incentive the U.S. needs to start incursions across the Iran/Iraq border. What's to lose, really. Iran is brazenly open about their financial and weapons support of many Iraqi terrorist groups, chiefly Sadr. A good dose of de-stabilization on Iran's side of the border might be a tonic for the mullahs. Don't forget the Syrian house-of-cards. Listen to Mark Steyn in an interview he did with Ed Driscoll (found it at "Hot Air"... do a search for "Mark Steyn"). He talks about the Malaysia/Indonesia conflict in the 60s... obscure war, but an object lesson to possibly project to today's Middle East.
Let's face it. If China doesn't step up the pressure on NK bigtime, the U.S. will (I thoroughly hope) feel compelled to move the Iraq situation along as rapidly as possible; what better way than buckling down on Iran. Iraq isn't as bad as the "MSM of the Green Zone" makes it out to be (have a read of Michael Totten's stuff... also heard him on Pajamas Media a few days ago... left me with hope, I tell ya, particularly because of what he had to say about Algeria). Upset Iran's apple cart, and that little 4-foot in NK will crap himself entirely out of existence. China had better start to worry about their Iranian oil supply... and what might happen to it if they don't hold up their end of things. Does that sound rational? I like it.
On his website, Hugh Hewitt linked a blog which in turn linked an article; "Across Europe, Worries on Islam Spread to Center" (N.Y. Times today). "Center" as in the center of the political spectrum... and all the way over to the European political left. People everywhere are getting sick of this b.s. what with 3RD world, 3RD rate pip-squeaks stirring up so much sh*t. I always thought it would take some outrageously detestable terrorist attack (9/11 did it for me... too many other ostriches around, I guess) to finally shake willfully blind people out of their funk (which is what it is, no question), but now I'm not so sure. Maybe all it will take is a government in say, Austria, being elected which comes to power on a platform of mass deportation of immigrants back to their countries of origin. Then so-called "moderate Muslims" everywhere will have a choice; stridently distinguish themselves from the Islamic fascists, and retake/reform their religion away from politics, or get lumped in with the nasties.
Maybe it's ALL a house-of-cards. I guess we'll find out in the next 5 or 10 years.
No Dhimmi, Eyes Open,
Agreed, United Democratic Nations. This was proposed on Wiki.org and leftist nervous Nellies erased it.
Too likely to catch on and thousands of non-democratic types would have to find a real job. = TG
Let's negotiate with Kim. Carter, Clinton and Albright are on to something. They let Kim have a light water nuclear reactor, as long as he promised not to use it to make weapons.
These lefties really know how to make the world a safer place.
This time, why don't we give them a nuclear bomb. As long as they promise not to build a hydrogen bomb.
It's about time to tell Mr Kim that he must destroy his nuclear capabilities or we will surely depose him. If China and Russia balk, attack anyways. These regimes have no morals and will surely back down.
Appeasement is the enemy.
The best way to attack Kim Jong is through China...instruct them to pull a "Tibet" solution on NK and if they fail to do so we pull western capital out of China...If that doesn't work you are going to have a nuke showdown and it is best to take out the big demon along with their little demon....that's the bottom line...it's the only solution other than unleashing a few isotopes to poison the planet for a few Millinia.
Persoanlly I believe Kim is running a blackmail con...he will stop if the west offers the right cash incentives...he uses China as a threat to cutail our retaliation....but are we so deparved and decadent that we will pay a monster not to threaten us rather than confront him?
How ironic. Dubya and the Yanks are told to stop butting out of other country's business; except in North Korea, where Bush is the problem because he won't negotiate directly with Kim Jong. It's Japan's, China's and others' problem. Let them solve it. Besides, Kim Jong is a pipsqueak. Even if you believe he now has a nuclear device (debatable), how can he use it anywhere and expect Chinese support. North Korea cannot even feed itself, so is in no shape for a conflict with another power. Unless, of course, one believes North Korea is China's nuclear proxy. I don't believe that, mainly because China's nuclear capability is not that great, so it cannot sustain nuclear conflict. Better to use economic power. IOW, Jong is a pipsqueak and should buzz off and forget about extracting more aid.
So now the world's deadliest cartoon character has his Q-36 explosive space modulator. Paging Bugs Bunny...
More on Jimmah "Mr. Peanut" Carter. Jimmah will only be silenced when his eyes open wide, for the last time. ...-
catherine said...
Eggplant,
I live in Carter country and the local knowing is that there's more hard-ball and ugly politicking to the man than what Habitat of Humanity and Carter Center photo-ops would show. That the man has done some good is not what I would question. It's the wilful destruction he would visit on this country by asserting the rights and goodwill of tyrant regimes over those of our democracy, time and time again.
Who's even surprised at Jimmy's handling of the Nork nuke situation? There were those at the time who said he would intentionally ascribe good faith on Jong-il's part and empathize with the view that the US is a bully aggressor nation, and they were right.
Who can forget that the honorable Carter has called Bush a liar in interviews (and this a time of terror and war), praised Michael Moore's blatant propaganda, sold us out at his acceptance of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize awards, liked Arafat and his Pali thugs while considering Israel to be in the same immoral league as America, etc? How honorable was it to certify really iffy referendum results for his friend Chavez?
If you can judge a former President by his rhetoric and allies, Jimmy is at least an embittered and vindictive "honorable" man. Yes, the man's a true believer in US arrogance, but funny that. ...-
belmont club
Why is ok for the USA to mass produce bombs and no one else? Who are they to pass judgement?