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If anyone wonders why the North Korean are obsessed with nuclear weapons: it's our own fault (USA). During the Korean war, when ceasefire negotiations were str
by cjslep 9y ago
If anyone wonders why the North Korean are obsessed with nuclear weapons: it's our own fault (USA).
During the Korean war, when ceasefire negotiations were straggling, both the US and N. Koreans came to the table expecting the other to surrender. During this time, it was suggested to Truman that the US threaten the use of the atomic bomb to coerce them into a peace treaty. Already having nuked Japan in WW2, Truman did not want to issue that threat. It wasn't until his successor, Eisenhower, came to power that the US threatened the use of the atomic bomb, and the N. Koreans begrudgingly agreed to an armstice.
Thus, the nuclear weapon is their symbol of the ultimate power of the bully, and a way to guarantee their freedom and independence.
- ramphastidae 9y agoExactly. Gaddafi accepted the US's demands to disarm in 2003 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disarmament_of_Libya https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disarmament_of_Libya) and we know how that worked out for him and Libya.
- methodover 9y agoOh please. North Korea invades their southern neighbor on a mission of subjugation; we come to help, do what needs to be done to bring the war to an end; and somehow NK's militarism and aggression is our fault? Don't get me wrong, the US has done some horrible things. But when it comes to NK, we've been saintly.
- cjslep 9y agoI agree with you, but I think you are purposefully conflating their long-documented drive towards obtaining nuclear weapons (of which I am talking about) and... well, everything else that's been horrible about the regieme (which I am not talking about: starvation, kidnapping, torture, etc). So I think you are accidentally trying to strawman my small historical point into something bigger and more sinister than I intended.
- methodover 9y agoAh, my apologies. Upon re-reading your message I think I misread it the first time around. I thought you were saying more than just "we showed NK that nuclear weapons are the ultimate weapon" -- I thought you were somehow implicating us as responsible for NK's militaristic, aggressive nature. Which you were not doing. My bad!
- liberte82 9y agoI'm no American jingoist, but blaming everything on America is also ridiculous. There are other actors in the world with their own motives. America as boogeyman is not much better than right-winger who believe the 'deep state' is trying to bring Trump down. Much of the time it's projection and distraction to not have to face up to your own shortcomings. I'm all for accurate analysis and the US has been a huge contributor to many problems around the world, but acting as if everything that happens in the world is just response to moves by America is an irrational position to take.
- cjslep 9y agoI agree with you. So I don't know who you are arguing against. Perhaps an accidental strawman? Edit: I'm only talking about their drive towards nuclear weapons, not any other aspects of the regieme (starvation, kidnapping, torture, killings, etc). How they go about their goals is all their own damn fault.
- synicalx 9y agoHindsight is 20/20 I guess. At the time, the threat of using nukes was probably quite a sound and rational decision - after all, by that point millions were dead and wounded on both sides and if the war continued there could very well have been millions more.