Craig Steiner, u.s. Common Sense American Conservatism |
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U.S. President Barack Obama, in what may be the most significant international crisis since the start of his administration, was quick to condemn the action of what most observers characterize as a rogue regime. I refer you back to a humorous Ghostbusters clip: "Thanks very much, Mr. President, that ought to do it." Seriously, North Korea has been a rogue regime for decades. They made deals with the Clinton administration to end their nuclear program even while they continued to pursue their nuclear program. They attempted to explode a nuclear device during the 2006 election cycle. There is evidence that North Korea has been working with Syria to build a nuclear plant there . North Korea has ignored international pressure for decades, and has now ignored international pressure to refrain from a rocket launch. Does anyone really believe that North Korea's intentions are anything but hostile? Does anyone really believe that North Korea, one of the poorest and least technically advanced nations in the world, was trying to put a satellite in orbit? Of course not. Everyone knows this was a missile test. And they successfully lobbed a payload over Japan and into the Pacific ocean. What will their next test achieve? North Korea has been--and continues to be--on a path of military confrontation. When there was evidence of a nuclear program during the Clinton administration, we hid behind diplomacy and did nothing. When they made their attempt to detonate a nuclear device during the Bush administration, we did nothing. When North Korea expelled U.N. nuclear observers, we did nothing. And now that North Korea is testing the means to deliver a warhead to Japan or the continental U.S., our president is pressing for "a strong international response." And what is that response? "The United States believes that this action is best dealt with -- the most appropriate response would be a United Nations Security Council resolution," she [U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice] added. A U.N. resolution. A nuclear armed country with decades of history of ignoring international pressure and breaking its agreements is testing a long-range missile. And the most appropriate response is a piece of paper? I feel safer already. U.S. Presidential response to North Korea has been bordering on criminal negligence since at least the Clinton administration. The Bush administration didn't do any better. Every day it seems that North Korea is closer to being able to hit the U.S. with a nuclear weapon. Yet we are told not to worry . But the fact is that when it's "time to worry," it'll be too late. I'm not advocating war or armed conflict. At least not right now. But it's time the United States and the world starts making hard decisions. North Korea doesn't care about U.N. resolutions. It's laughable to suggest that such a resolution represents a "strong international response." That only tells North Korea how unwilling we are to confront them. Unless the U.N. Resolution raises the serious threat of military confrontation with the world, this response is a joke. As difficult as substantively confronting North Korea (and Iran) may be today, it'll be even harder when they're armed with nuclear weapons, and harder still when they can deliver them with missile technology. Update Later Same Evening: And, after Obama called for a "strong international response" (which he left to the United Nations), here was the result: An emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council concluded Sunday without an official reaction to North Korea ignoring repeated international warnings and launching a long-range rocket, the council president told reporters. This was entirely predictable, and it's why I wrote earlier that a U.N. resolution was laughable as "a strong international response." The U.N. is so neutered, so ineffective that an emergency meeting couldn't even agree on a condemnation of this threat to peace. Instead, they convened and basically agreed that they need to convene again as soon as possible. Is this a joke? Are they intentionally trying to demonstrate to the world just how absurdly useless the U.N. is? This is the organization we're supposed to trust with the problems of the world? The United States is supposed to yield to the U.N. as if the U.N. is going to defend anyone's safety, let alone the safety of the United States? Go to the article list |