Reply #89: THANK YOU, ChenGOD and Snow!!! [View All]

[berry]

Your reasoned and well-informed posts are MOST welcome!

I too have been disturbed by the willingness of DUers and even some Democratic politicians to use NKorea as the real demon to worry about (while arguing for sanity in our dealings with Iraq). Of course NKorea has problems and presents problems to its neighbors. But they were finally problems that were being faced and dealt with, albeit very cautiously and slowly. NKorea has shown signs of being willing to deal--and Bush, Bolton and the other neo-con hawks have shown nothing but contempt (as in 'how can one negotiate with a liar?'--exactly the same excuse that was used in preparing for invading Iraq).

The US tendency to oversimplify in its dealings with the rest of the world is clearly dangerous--look where it got us in Iraq today. Very few of the people demonizing NKorea will even acknowledge that 1) US policies contributed to NKorea's "paranoia" (in quotes because they really DO have enemies, the US preeminantly); 2) Kim Jong-il is not omnipotent within NKorea--he has factions and power-bases that he has to work with in some way (the military, the party, etc.).

I don't know as much about all this as I should (having lived in SKorea), but I recognize that it is not just that Kim is a "bad" person. NKorea is trapped, I think. And indeed some in NKorea are not ready, even now, to admit it, but others clearly are. It's delicate and difficult, but I do believe that with wise diplomacy (not likely in the US just now), they can be helped to change. I trust the South Korean view of what needs to be done FAR more than I trust the US view (which in any case is almost entirely seen through a military cold-war lens).

It's also good to remember that demonizing the enemy is the first step towards war. Best to stay pragmatic and rational. As soon as the emotion of hatred enters, we start down dangerous paths.