This morning on November 23, 2010 North Korea fired artillery shells at South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island which forced South Korea to respond with their own artillery fire. This attack by North Korea killed two Korean Soldiers and at least three civilians as well as injuring sixteen others. In response to this attack President Obama urged China to take a stand against North Korean aggression to help prevent attacks from escalating into more serious attacks and possibly war. Obama would not speculate on military actions, but said he was going to consult with the president of South Korea to figure out an appropriate response to the North Korean attack. The United States is discussing a number of measures with its allies, including action at the United Nations Security Council and further sanctions, and more joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, to demonstrate solidarity and support. This attack by North Korea is the first on South Korean civilian territory since the Korean War in 1953. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called the attack one of "gravest incidents since the end of the Korean War" and said he "is deeply concerned by the escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula."
President Obama is doing the right thing in my opinion by consulting with the president of South Korea first before jumping into the frying pan, but he also needs to be careful of what he is getting us into and should try and push peace and anti-war seeing as war with North Korea is the last thing the U.S needs right now. Going to war with North Korea would completely negate the progression we have made to get out of this economic depression and send us even further into debt than we were at the peak of the depression.
I did enjoy reading Mr. Ross’s Blog “North Korea and ongoing threat” and the fresh issue he bought along with it. I do agree, this is the last thing the US government needs right now; but is it? The last time we went into a serious war was during the 1940’s against a similar clandestine nation. It brought the US out of the great depression and created new jobs and opened the door with new technology. It also made the US the big brother to the world. The petty countries and regimes we have come across after the second Great War have been fought in a different manner. It has been us standing around and getting snipped by 10 people in the jungle or cowardly car bomber drive by’s. This on the other hand, would be a sophisticated war. That is why the US is testing the water before they jump in.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that China is not going to do what the US and South Korean’s want, they are not about to tell North Korea what they can and cannot do. The Chinese instead would rather the US and S. Korea to come to their regional meeting coming up, to talk it out according the China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu. This in a way is a lack of international respect between the US and China.
The blog did leave out (I’m sure due to the development of the story) that this was a bit provoked due to the exercises both the US and South Korea were doing prior to the attack. Though this action was rash and unconstitutional, the North Koreans obviously don’t care. Just like the Iranians earlier this year, stating the Presidents threats are amateurish. Perhaps the N. Korea see’s the weak threats in this same light. The lack of respect of power this nation possesses in the international view by these countries may lead to more threats in the future by other nations. I had read that another attack may be immanent.
So, while the president is being called out in the Far East, he is a too busy pardoning convicted drug dealers and coin mutilators here. This is to me is disturbing, because what if JFK did the same during the Cuban missile crisis in the 1960’s? All I know is the US needs to show some backbone, perhaps not an attack 3 times larger then what the Rules of engagement call for but a warning strike powerful enough to send a serious message. It should not result in any fatality but set the message straight to the North Korean letting them physically and visually know “you do not want go to war with US”.