4 ms·

> History will judge us very harshly for what we have all allowed to happen in north korea. Is there any way of stopping it short of a bloody, protracted war?

• deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
• mjn 14y ago
  The proximity of populated areas of South Korea, and the touchiness of China over intervention in the area, are particular problems. If it weren't for those, the U.S. would probably have bombed the North at one point or another, especially once the nuclear tests gave a plausible excuse to do so. If anything there was a better argument for attacking North Korea than for its fellow "axis of evil" member Iraq (on either humanitarian or "WMD" grounds), but Iraq was a much easier target. It wasn't really for any lack of interest on the U.S.'s part: for a few years, very pro-intervention neoconservatives had a strong role in the Bush administration's defense policy, and they investigated North Korea options, but presumably couldn't arrive at one.
  • kalleboo 14y ago
    But what strategic interest does the US have in North Korea? To get closer to China?
• ekianjo 14y ago
  Stop giving them food and financial help. A difficult decision indeed, but what we are doing currently is giving just enough for the current regime to continue working forever as it is. Should the population go poorer than they are currently, they may revolt on their own in an unprecedented scale. Or the regime will take progressive reforms to allow of bit of capitalism to pervase in their society and slowly change the economic landscape.