No country in the history of mankind has practiced the quasi-Clausewitzian strategy of using war, or the threat of war, to further diplomatic ends more effectively than North Korea.
In fact, in recent years, the “dear leader” of this rogue nation, Kim Jong-il, has made a mockery of America’s much-vaunted status as the world’s sole superpower by using the threat of nuclear war to extort all manner of political and economic concessions from successive US presidents.
Now it seems he has added kidnapping to his diplomatic arsenal. Specifically, reports are that, on March 17, North Korea arrested Euna Lee (26) and Laura Ling (32), both of whom work as journalists for former VP Al Gore’s Current TV. They were accused of entering the country illegally with intent to commit unspecified “hostile acts.”
There seems little doubt, however, that these daring reporters just became targets of opportunity when they ventured too close to the China-North Korea border. And whether they did so knowingly or not is immaterial. They have now become bargaining chips for North Korea in its ongoing tail-wagging-the-dog relationship with the US.
They were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for their “crimes” by a North Korean kangaroo court yesterday. Therefore, the only question now is: what price their release? And, despite denials, the US will pay.
So pay no mind to talk about President Obama taking military action (like interdicting North Korean ships on the high seas), putting pressure on China to intervene, or turning Japan into a nuclear power to check Kim’s now-patented nuclear gamesmanship.
After all, if North Korea’s defiance over nuclear weapons did not compel Bush to deploy any of these enhanced tactics, it’s plainly disingenuous for anyone to suggest that its kidnapping of two women will compel Obama to do so. And this is hardly a Somali-pirate situation where US Navy Seals can fire a few shots and end it….
Accordingly, here’s to a groveling plea and a “whole lotto cash” to secure their release…. And, trust me, nothing would please Lil’ Kim more than to have Gore, the former vice president of the United States, personally make this plea while handing over a Yankee-size bag of cash.
Related commentaries:
North Korea’s nuclear test: wagging the US dog … again
Obama declares war on piracy
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.