For the Bush Administration, the Moment of Truth
We learn today that China intends to veto a resolution that would impose binding sanctions on North Korea’s missile trade. Got that? No binding sanctions on a starving nation’s trade in … missile components.
China and Russia introduced a resolution Wednesday deploring North Korea’s missile tests but dropping language from a rival proposal that could have led to military action against Pyongyang.
Excuse me? Who said anything about “military action?” Unless they mean intercepting their nukes, missiles, and dope on the high seas, in which case, the term seems deliberately intended by China, Russia, and the reporter to set up the false choice of a flaccid, toothless Hans Brix response or Korean War II — something the reporter knows absolutely no serious person is considering. This is fetid, amateurish reporting on an issue where the most of the media have failed miserably to give the story sufficient coverage to put it into perspective. And when they turn their attention to it, naturally, they fuck it up. China’s sudden attack of pacifism is most amusing of all, following its bellicose threats against Taiwan, South Korea, or the United States (need I restate that we’re only asking for sanctions here?).
World powers agreed Wednesday to send Iran back to the United Nations Security Council for possible punishment, saying the clerical regime has given no sign it means to negotiate seriously over its disputed nuclear program.
I don’t know if our asking the U.N. for two favors in one week squanders our capital or puts more pressure on Russia and China not to obstruct all meaningful responses to dangerous psychopaths. Our friend Nicholas Burns is running our Iran diplomacy, so my suspicion is that we’re taking a gradualist approach on Iran. The conventional wisdom is that they’re a few years from having nukes (ergo, we can afford to let the clock run out and get serious when they actually have them).
On North Korea, however, we are at The Moment of Truth. There is no more justification for this Administration’s gradualist approach, or for trying to win over a deeply unpopular Roh Administration that’s opted for “camp diplomacy” as a wholly-owned subsidiary of our nation’s enemies. Kim Jong Il has smacked us with his white glove. Our credibility rests on our next move. At this moment, we either get serious about wetting the soil from Kim Jong Il’s arteries or prove to all that our lame duck government is no longer producing testosterone. This Administration is out of time. It acts now, or never.
Yes, a U.N. resolution that would bind China, Russia, and South Korea would be nice to have, but it isn’t going to happen. That said, we can still use the United Nations as a forum for humiliating China and South Korea, and for recruiting domestic support for more robust policies and less deference to our foes at the U.N. We can denounce China as the abetter of democide against North Korea’s “expendable” classes without doing appreciable harm to their willingness to sell us things, just as our failure to say those things will earn us no good will from the Mandarin commisars and won’t stop the unilateral arms race that they have started.
Instead of being the object of everyone’s U.N. delusions of moral grandeur, let’s wring some residual use from that failed institution and do some grandstanding of our own. Let’s withdraw the Japanese draft and introduce a comprehensive and binding arms embargo resolution on North Korea. Let’s put in language permitting the seizure of North Korean assets for the feeding of its people, via a tightly-monitored and audited U.N. aid program. Let’s talk about the two million-plus people those missiles have already killed, how China has made comfort women of the survivors, and how the UNHCR has stood by and checked itself for rectal polyps while it all happened. Dare the Chinese, before the entire world, to veto a resolution that blocks North Korea from buying arms while its people are starving. Speak forthrightly about the choice North Korea is making to let its people die.
And when China vetoes that resolution — and it will — let America again debate why the United Nations is a good use of America’s tax revenue, and how other venues where China and Russia have no veto are not better investments for the pursuit of our interests. Let the U.N. run on rubles and yuan. It has no power to obstruct us that we don’t give it. For that matter, let the South Korean military run on won.
We have other options. Isolate the regime. Engage the people.
The UN was good in it’s day. Unfortunately that was a few decades ago.
My favorite “Team America†line remains the Hans Brix response to what the UN would do if Kim Jong-il didn’t allow inspections:
I suggest that for the foreseeable future, all mainstream media outlets use “file footage” for Kim strictly from Team America: World Police.
I don’t think people could spot the difference anyway.
Japan’s UN Resolution is dangerous to the stability of Asia because it allows the use of force against NK. That can lead to pre-emptive strikes against NK, which some American and Japanese leaders have called for.
Russia and China are wise for rejecting this Resolution.
The Cato Institute also criticizes Japan’s Resolution.
That’s odd, because what I found destabilizing and dangerous was North Korea pointing 10,000 artillery pieces at South Korea, building nukes, and lobbing missiles around like so much tobacco juice.
What’s also “destabilizing and dangerous” is Israel’s current attack against Lebanon and Gaza. 10 nations in the UN Security Council want to pass a resolution calling on Israel to stop the attacks, but the US said it will veto.
Considering how the US vetoes for Israel, it should not complain too much about China vetoing a resolution against NK.
Mi-Hwa, that’s a complete non-sequitur, but I’ll bite. The bus bombers attacked Israel, and Israel hit back just as any nation ought to be able hit back at terrorists who attack it. My only concern here is that Israel should not overreact to such an extent that it undermines the authority of Lebanon’s democratically elected govt, or give Syria an excuse to intervene. Hezbollah controls half of Lebanon. The goal should be to have the Lebanese Army back in control, and Hezbollah disarmed.
If Syria does intervene, we ought to give Israel a green light to slaughter the Syrian military, crater its runways, and blockade its ports. Asad is a terror-master and would be no loss.
Oh, it’s those darned bloodthirsty Zionists, again, right Mi-Hwa?
What’s the matter with them? Going around dropping bombs on innocent terrorists and smashing productive and benign suicide bomb-making factories.
Those beasts. Why can’t they be like the rest of us and just take a little terrorism now and then?
I mean, doesn’t everybody know it’s The Root CauseTM that results in terrorism, not this silly knuckle-dragger ideas about evil people valuing death over life?
“Going around dropping bombs on innocent terrorists and smashing productive and benign suicide bomb-making factories.”
It goes way beyond that. Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon’s civilian airport, which is a clear act of aggression against a sovereign nation at peace. Israel has also bombed the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry building and a Palestinian power plant that the US taxpayers helped to pay for.
Israel has been going on a rampage, just because a few Israeli soldiers have been captured. So far, at least 45 civilians have died in Lebanon.
The EU, Russia, Muslim nations, and many others at the UN are outraged at Israel’s reckless aggression. The US is the only country that supports Israel’s attacks. If the US doesn’t stop Israel, then the US can forget about cooperation from other countries on other issues. The Bush Admin. is making another big blunder.
Well, someone smarter needs to be in charge of spending my money, since those buildings are destined to be targets for the finest JDAMS American technology can make.
The Palestinians are incapable of comprehending methods of social protest that don’t involve stuffing RDX into their vests. I’m all for blasting people like that into a fine pink mist before they take a busload of kids with them. I’ve had zero sympathy for the Palestinians since their 9/11 street dance party. They need a few more years of Hamas rule to see where terror will get them.
I’d ask what you’d recommend what the Korean government would do if someone attacked and killed a bunch of its service members or held some of them hostage, but we already know the answer to that one, don’t we?
You could always ask Pvt. Han Man Taek, if you can find him.
The JDAMS, on the other hand, are money well spent.
JDAMS gotta be the most cost effective weapon in US arsenal. ROKAF is buying JDAMS to arm the F-15Ks too.
Alas, other fighters in ROKAF cannot be armed with JDAM. So the dirty job of bombing DPRK’s well concealed artillery and rocket launchers will have to be done by USAF fighters. Yes, drop the JDAMs on the escape doors and bury the artillery pieces and especially 175mm SP guns and long range rocket launchers when they come out of their holes.
1. CATO’s carpenter is right,
“The North Korea regime, while bizarre and brutally repressive, has never shown signs of suicidal behavior. And attacking the United States, which possesses thousands of nukes, would be suicidal.
Relying on deterrence is far better than embracing reckless proposals to launch preemptive air strikes on North Korea. It is also better than escalating the crisis by adopting Japan’s suggestion to impose comprehensive international economic sanctions. We need cool heads to prevail during this difficult time. ”
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2. why china/russia/SK rejects sanction? i thin the news agencies got it wrong.
the true reason is, sanctionind trade means sanctioning its trading partners as well, in this case, who does business with NK? these 3 countries.
of course all of them would oppose.
who would support, those who do not do business with NK anyway, the rest of the UNSC members
I think it’s desireable for our sanctions to cause China and South Korea pain, as with the PATRIOT 311 designation that was so effective against Banco Delta Asia. China wants the continuation of a threat to U.S. security, which means that China’s pain is a necessary incentive for making our country safe.
If we designate the entire country of North Korea under 311, it will hurt plenty of Chinese and South Korean businesses that are keeping Kim Jong Il in power. As far as I’m concerned, this is just peachy. Before we’re forced to do that, maybe China will agree to something binding and substantive at the UN. But I don’t expect that.