By now the whole world is aware that Kim Jong Un is crazy.
The big question is “just how crazy is he”? He has threatened to attack U.S. forces in Korea and bases in Asia, even U.S. cities. He has declared the truce that ended the Korean War dead and that "a state of war" exists with the South. All ties to the South have been cut.
The United States mistakenly thought that by sending stealth fighters to Korea and anti-missile warships to the Sea of Japan, and a fly-by of two B-2 bombers, they could squelch his rhetoric. Obviously that didn’t help because he is now between a rock and a hard place. If he launches an attack, he knows very well the U.S. will retaliate and he will be in a war he cannot win. But if he backs down, he risks becoming an object of ridicule in Asia and most importantly, at home in North Korea.
Why is he playing with fire? Well, because it has become a tradition. His father and grandfather both did it and got away with it. Like Hank Jr. said “it’s a family tradition”.
In 1968, Kim Il Sung hijacked the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo and held its crew hostage. America did nothing. In 1976, North Koreans ax-murdered two U.S. officers in the DMZ. In 1983, North Korea tried to assassinate South Korea's president in Burma and blew up three members of his cabinet. In 1987, North Koreans blew up a South Korean airliner.
Then, under Kim Jong Il, Pyongyang torpedoed a South Korean patrol boat, killing 47, and shelled a South Korean island, killing four.
All of these “acts of war” went unpunished, so of course Kim Jong Un believes he too can get away with it. He believes he too will be bribed by the Unites States into another temporary peace.
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found this perfect picture to go with this post.
UPDATE...7 April 2013
China better put a leash on their mutt. They lose north Korea and they'll have a US military base on their doorstep.
ReplyDeleteI think China is pretty much fed up with this nut job.
DeleteRussia, on the other hand, I'm not sure about...