Comments on: North Korea kick-starting Yongbyon

By: Hard Starboard

Hard Starboard — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:37:22 +0000

Evicted…

Three months ago, someone who should have known better declared a landmark diplomatic victory for the Bush Adminstration over the communist regime of Kim jong-IL’s North Korea and its supposed agreement to give up its nuclear weapons program. So…

By: North Korea Heating Up… « Tai-Chi Policy

North Korea Heating Up… « Tai-Chi Policy — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:32:21 +0000

[...] Korea Heating Up… September 24, 2008 Posted by taoist in North Korea. trackback Something to keep an eye on (more here). The big question behind all of this is how Kim is doing, and if he is behind this at [...]

By: Larry King to Ahmadinejad: Can I Fluff Your Pillow? « The Dude’s Blog

Larry King to Ahmadinejad: Can I Fluff Your Pillow? « The Dude’s Blog — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:42:35 +0000

[...] North Korea kick-starting Yongbyon [...]

By: paulsur

paulsur — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:18:07 +0000

Hey Ed, your article was interesting, but let me put out another reason why they have dones this:
the DPRK does not do anything without permission from the PRC first. They have always been and will always be a puppet for the PRC. The PRC enjoys having this antagonist in which it can yank the chain of the west, especially the USA.

By: burt

burt — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:16:32 +0000

I remember reading two or three years ago that Yongbyon was decrepit and needed to be abandoned or given major rework. It may have been Bolton who said that. I think we just subsidized the second option.

It is a good thing he left. It wouldn’t do to have such an agnostic on the payroll.

By: baldilocks

baldilocks — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:59:01 +0000

Crazy world.

By: scalleywag

scalleywag — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:58:56 +0000

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080501-5.html

Why do we keep giving billions of dollars to countries run by feckless little despots?

By: scalleywag

scalleywag — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:53:33 +0000

Wait a minute…didn’t we just give them a whole bunch of aid money?

By: indythinker

indythinker — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:49:39 +0000

Turn up the sanctions. Hold on to your hats.

By: fossten

fossten — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:11:09 +0000

Fool me once shame one you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

How many times will N. Korea pull this stunt before the rest of the world wises up?

MarkTheGreat on September 24, 2008 at 10:52 AM

Doesn’t matter, because we need always to talk to them and then they’ll realize that we mean them no harm, and they’ll beat their AK’s into plowshares.

By: LimeyGeek

LimeyGeek — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:10:29 +0000

I am at a loss for words to describe my suprise.

ronsfi on September 24, 2008 at 12:00 PM

How about “none” ?

By: Rick

Rick — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:10:19 +0000

crosspatch on September 24, 2008 at 11:46 AM

Also, the Russkies have been dealing with Iran – - in essence, encouraging their Nuke ambitions too.

By: ronsfi

ronsfi — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:00:41 +0000

I am at a loss for words to describe my suprise.

By: crosspatch

crosspatch — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:46:30 +0000

I think you are seeing another indication of what the Russians meant when they said their response to the missile defense deal in Poland would go beyond diplomacy. Add the invasion of Georgia and current operations in Venezuela to Russia’s probable encouragement and support of the reactor restart and there you have it. The NORKS probably wanted to refurbish the place anyway.

By: pannw

pannw — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:41:19 +0000

Pray.

By: Shy Guy

Shy Guy — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:40:03 +0000

John Bolton on North Korea

420sniper on September 24, 2008 at 10:53 AM

Doctor Know.

By: CP

CP — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:39:58 +0000

Anyone know what China is saying about this?

ThePrez on September 24, 2008 at 11:33 AM

I’m sure the Politburo is having a good laugh.

By: Rick

Rick — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:36:01 +0000

But Ted Turner said they were reasonable people – - a little skinny, but nice.

Bush tried and Kim lied.

By: ThePrez

ThePrez — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:33:33 +0000

Anyone know what China is saying about this?

By: Vashta.Nerada

Vashta.Nerada — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:32:24 +0000

There is a good book out, Downfall, about the decision to use the bomb on Japan vs an invasion. It speaks about the mindset of the Japanese generals who ran the country. They felt that a pyrrhic battle against the US during an invasion would either make the US walk away, or at least allow them to save face. I have a feeling that Kim is indeed impaired, and that his politburo/generals are pulling the strings, and their mindset is similar to 1944-45 Japan.

By: LimeyGeek

LimeyGeek — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:25:55 +0000

Bombing N. Korea’s not really a realistic option.

BadgerHawk on September 24, 2008 at 11:22 AM

Perhaps. But it is fun to toy with.

By: BadgerHawk

BadgerHawk — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:25:28 +0000

BadgerHawk, I’m betting that if they did decide to bomb the reactor, the border force would be beefed up in advance.

JadeNYU on September 24, 2008 at 11:21 AM

Look at a map. S. Korea’s capital is like 30 miles from the DMZ, along with an entire U.S. Infantry Division. I’m not saying we couldn’t bomb any N. Korean reactor we wanted to and defeat them militarily (both would be pretty easy). I’m just saying there would be a pretty significant loss of life on our side.

By: BadgerHawk

BadgerHawk — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:22:25 +0000

I suspect we’d get an object lesson in how fast you can kill a tin-pot million-man army.

LimeyGeek on September 24, 2008 at 11:13 AM

Well yeah, we’d destroy them. But the 2ID, of which a half dozen of my friends are serving in, would be decimated in the process. Bombing N. Korea’s not really a realistic option.

By: JadeNYU

JadeNYU — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:21:55 +0000

BadgerHawk, I’m betting that if they did decide to bomb the reactor, the border force would be beefed up in advance.

By: CP

CP — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:20:39 +0000

Doesn't sound good. Meanwhile, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just voted in favor of the US nuclear deal with India. The House and Senate now have to pass it, so the president can finally sign it.