What Kim Jong-il is Really Up To

By Aussiegirl

Herb Meyer really puts his finger on it. Kim is a mini-Mao who is torturing and starving his people while we "negotiate" with him and offer him incentives to stop being a bad boy. It's absolutely outrageous. What we have done by essentially refusing to react to this dangerous act of provocation is to demonstrate to North Korea AND Iran that we are too hamstrung by our involvment in Iraq and by worldwide opinion to any longer defend our interests in the world. There are war-scenarios that show what would happen if N. Korea launched a sudden attack on the South. Seoul would be devastated in short order. And there is a strong sentiment in the South for reunification - they may not fight but see it as their chance to reunify. But the real danger is that we have made it clear that we are weak and impotent -- that leaves us open to even greater danger in the future. This is disastrous. I actually heard Bush say
"He needs to learn that there is a better way forward." -- like N. Korea is a naughty child that must be coaxed into better behavior!

The American Thinker

What Kim Jong-il is Really Up To
Herb Meyer

Doug Hanson is right – as usual – in concluding that North Korea’s missile launches are intended to test U.S. resolve. The question is: Resolve about what?

Let’s cut through all the super-sophisticated analysis that’s flooding this morning’s newspapers and talk shows and get to the heart of it:

Kim Jong-il has only one objective: the unification of Korea under his control. That’s it; this is what he wants. North Korea’s huge army may or may not be strong enough to defeat South Korea – but the South Koreans know that even if they defend their country successfully from a North Korean invasion, Seoul would be utterly destroyed in the fighting. So in the event of a North Korean invasion – or perhaps even the credible threat of invasion – it’s likely that the South Koreans would capitulate.

The only thing standing between Kim and his objective is the United States. More precisely, Kim cannot risk an invasion of South Korea so long as this would bring the US armed forces into the war. So, to accomplish his objective Kim must first take the US out of the equation. He can do that by turning US public opinion against the idea of risking nuclear war to defend South Korea. When members of Congress, and of course The New York Times, start asking aloud, Why risk Seattle to save Seoul? – it’s over. And by developing nuclear weapons and test-firing missiles, Kim moves closer to neutralizing the US.

And yes, it really is this simple. What’s so worrisome is that Kim’s strategy stands a very good chance of working