The Obama Administration has announced that it is cancelling all food aid to North Korea to punish the nation’s regime for its failed attempt to put a satellite into orbit yesterday. White House spokesman Jay Carney said it was “virtually impossible” to provide North Korea food after the launch.
National Security Council spokesman Ben Rhodes went on to say that the US was considering additional sanctions against North Korea for its “provocative actions.” A G8 statement also raised the possibility of pushing more sanctions at the UN Security Council.
Past UN resolutions banned North Korea from developing long-range missiles, but made no distinction between military missiles and a civilian space program. Sen. Jon Kyl (R – AZ) claimed the failed launch amounted to a threat on American cities.
Obama had threatened to pull all food aid from North Koreans last month during a visit to South Korea. He said it was important for the North Korean government to understand that “bad behavior will not be rewarded.” Since the food aid deal was originally aimed at convincing North Korea to halt its nuclear program, its revocation could well push North Korea back into weapons development.
This is hideous, reminiscent of our sanctions on Iraq that killed 500,000 children under 5 without weakening Saddam Hussein at all. It's inhumane to punish starving people because of our displeasure at their dictator, and if we were a bit more compassionate and generous, we wouldn't have nearly as many enemies. It takes a very hard heart to do this to innocent children, elderly people and other impoverished civilians.
To quote a certain terrible person, they think its worth it.
Playing right into Crazy Kim Mk2's hands. After years of taking free food from the USA, they'll claim that we broke the agreement and go back to testing nukes. Everyone will be happy – China because they won't have to deal with a united Korea in our lifetimes, and the Military Industrial Complex who now have a boogyman ready and on standby for whenever they need another PATRIOT Act passed.
No enough blood on your hand, Obama? Burn, bomb, starve! Bad behavior will be rewarded!
"…its revocation could well push North Korea back into weapons development…"
You have an untested, coddled, petulant neophyte ruler who probably doesn't take well failure. Why would you want to poke him in the ass and tell him he HAS to behave? If the plan is to force him to behave as his father did toward the outside world, congratulations, because that's what he's going to do. The opportunity to invest some good relations has been thrown out the window.
Are EVERYONE at State flaming idiots? These are supposed to be the people who know and understand dealing with other countries and their idiosyncratic rulers. Definitely haven't proven that lately.
You shall not lift your heads. You shall not do anything to improve your situation or move ahead. Just follow these rules and we'll be nice to you. Disobey and be killed like Gaddhafi and Hussein or starved like the Iraqi children.
What a joke. North Korea is an impoverished nation which is not a threat to anybody. For the Americans to suggest the North Koreans are trying to establish an intercontinental ballistic missile program is a pathetic overstatement – the country can barely feed its own people – and then to cut back food aid based on this non-existent threat is beyond cruel. But anyone who speaks out against this will also come under the threat of the NDAA.
Your either Antiwar, or your just the Anti (United States position).. North Korea got tanks (t-34) in large numbers and tried to take over southern Korea in the 1950s. The United States has no responsibility to feed the people of Northern Korea. The Soviet Union fell of its own weight. We have no duty to protect totalitarian regimes.
Let us take two examples: Vietnam (who defeated the United States militarily in 1973 and southern Viet Nam in 1975.) Vietnam put a communications satellite into space. They hired a proven European rocket company and put a more advanced satellite into space. No drama. If DPRK wants to put missiles into space for a ridiculous satellite whose one of its functions is to play recordings of its leader. Oh, well. It is the policy of the United States not to encourage that,
If antiwar people want to be a permanent political minority, keep supporting totalitarian regimes. If you want to grow the food yourself and donate it to North Korea is one thing, if you want to take state money and give it to them is another thing.
Dink, feeding hungry peasants is not supporting the regime, and starving them to death won't undermine the regime. We are taking out our anger at the dictators by punishing the poor, who are already their victims and about whom the elites don't give a damn, a characteristic they share with you.
'The United States has no responsibility to feed the people of Northern Korea'. Agreed, although I would certainly have no problem with selling them whatever foodstuffs they wanted. But WHY does the USA have a 'responsibility' to defend South Korea? Why not just leave the Korean peninsula altogether? I very seriously dount ANYONE at antiwar.com is 'supporting totalitarian states'.