National Review on North Korea
I think they get it mostly right, particularly their sober opposition to Newt Gingrich’s call for bombing them (published in NRO), which predated a similar call by William Perry.
What this means is that the U.S. is probably stuck with Kim for a while to come. Our policy should accordingly be one of containing Kim’s regime and undermining its power. Perhaps the greatest danger is that North Korea will transfer its missile technology to other regimes that would use it to threaten us….
The last goal could be advanced by more serious enforcement of the Proliferation Securities Initiative, a U.S.-led effort to interdict transfers of banned weapon technology. In practice, the PSI has done almost nothing to stop North Korean arms shipments, possibly for fear of damaging the six-party talks. It’s time to cast such reservations aside. In addition, the U.S. should step up its already successful efforts to cut off North Korea’s overseas financial assets. If China, Russia, and South Korea are unwilling to bless outright sanctions, they should at least be expected to support these measures — and informed that obstinacy will seriously damage their standing with the U.S.
There was also this, for South Korea:
South Korea should be asked, in blunt terms, how long it expects the U.S. to defend it from the threat it helps perpetuate.
It’s astonishing that we still are.
In my opinion, Containment is not Enough.
Today’s Washington Post editorial hit the target as well:
“Until now China and South Korea have refused to pressure Mr. Kim. That cynical policy serves South Korean and Chinese economic interests as well as the two governments’ desire for “stability” in the North — even if stability means propping up one of the most murderous and amoral regimes in modern history.”
“South Korea should be asked, in blunt terms, how long it expects the U.S. to defend it from the threat it helps perpetuate.”
Beautiful.
Actually, it’s the aggressive actions and rhetoric by the US that helps to perpetuate the Kim Jong Il regime. KJI has used the Iraq Invasion as a propaganda tool to convince his people that America can attack anytime. Many North Koreans believe that, and that’s why they are preparing for war all the time. They even think that America started the Korean War.