US Army Chief of Staff General George Casey today insisted that the army was “prepared” to fight a war against North Korea, in the event one broke out. Given the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Gen. Casey conceded that “it would probably take us a little bit longer to shift gears” into fighting a more conventional conflict with the massive North Korean army.
The South Korean and US soldiers on the peninsula have been put on high alert, fearing potential strikes from the north. North Korea has also moved artillery along its west coast and accused the US of preparing to invade the nation.
Concern over a potential war has risen in recent days, with North Korea declaring that it would no longer honor the 56 year old armistice with the south, citing what it called “violations” by the South Korean government. The Russian government is also taking precautionary measures, fearing a potential nuclear war along its border.
North Korea conducted an atomic weapons test on Monday, sparking international outcry and threats of unspecified consequences against the nation. More sanctions are reportedly being mulled by the UN Security Council, though it is unclear how much effect such measures would have against the isolated nation.
This sounds like a great idea!
It seems probable, at least to the North Koreans, and perhaps in fact, that they are the intended victims of this situation – and highly unlikely that they are acquiring nuclear weapons in order to start a nuclear war in which they would inevitably be obliterated. It is also a certainty that their actions seem rational and justified – to them. It would be a mistake to dismiss what they say as "mere propaganda" or to refuse to print it because of a fear of "spreading propaganda". I have seen many instances where the "other side's propaganda" represented how they actually saw things, while our pundits, politicians and editors simply treated it as a smokescreen for what they "really meant", in effect substituting their own interpretation without reporting what was really said.
To understand this crisis we need to know:
a. What is the North Korean general understanding of the world situation, their place in it and the US, South Korean, Chinese and Russian places in it. What do they think the US and South Korea are after and why?
b. What is the North Korean understanding of development over the last eight years, and how it affects them? How do they see the US game plan?
c. What is the evidence for and against their analysis?
Are there any readers who could throw some light on this?