North Korea and the US, friends at last?

[PHeller]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25403093/

North Korea demolishes reactor tower, signaling, among other things, the end of its nuclear development.

What I don't understand, is why a cheap form of energy can't be provided too a poor country.

As long as the said country allows its nuclear product and fuel to be monitored, what's the problem?

I don't think North Korea is going to rush out and buy solar panels and wind mills.

[Buster]

Friends? No way?

Did we succeed into getting them to listen to us through diplomacy and probably some threats to their economy and trade relations?

Yep. :)

They weren't using the nuclear plants for energy. They MAY have to a point for a facade, but they also used it for an atomic bomb and have publcally stated possibilities of using it on neighboring countries.

Funny, the Clinton Adminitration tried an appeasement tactic in the 90s that gave North Korea aid in the form of hundreds of million dollars in food, oil (good things) and a NUCLEAR REACTOR. It ended up being just like the UN's Oil-for-Food failure with Hussein. Kim Jong Il used the aid to starve his people and build uranium bombs. In 1998, they launched a test missile into Japan, proving they can not be trusted with the nuclear weaponry. China had been assisting North Korea in development and funding of the weapons, another nation that has publicly stated the desire to overtake us as the world's superpower and can not be trusted due to the corruption of their government. Equipment for production of the weapons were purchased from Pakistan in 1998, a known supporter of terrorism. The key equipment, including a working gas centrifuge used to enrich uranium, was shipped to Pyongyang in the coffin of the murdered wife of a North Korean diplomat. Beijing's indirect assistance includes allowing Pakistani C-130 cargo flights over China to Pyongyang that carry key equipment for nuclear weapons production. The flights return to Pakistan with North Korean No Dong missile parts.

Pakistan also benefited from the trade in weaponry. The missiles-for-nukes trade gave Pakistan an operational means to deliver its atomic bombs.

Pakistan has since successfully test-fired and deployed its own version of the No Dong missile, called the Ghauri. The North Korean-designed missile has a range of nearly 900 miles and can cover virtually all of India, Pakistan's rival in Southwest Asia.

The ultimate irony here is that the North Korean No Dong and Tae Po Dong missiles are based on technology given to Pyongyang by China. In 1994, the Wall Street Journal revealed that Chinese-made CSS-2 missile technology had found its way into North Korean hands.

China has also allowed North Korea to ship SCUD missiles through its territory for Middle Eastern customers. According to a Canadian undercover operative, North Korean agents moved dismantled SCUD missiles through China into Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

The allegations proved to be correct because U.S. satellites were able to follow Chinese-made M-11 missiles bound for Pakistan over the same land route in 2000. The illegal export of M-11 missiles brought swift sanctions against Beijing by the Bush administration.

It's a huge success for both our nation as a whole and for the Bush Administration. The President called a "war monger" by so many anti-war people just successfully made not only our nation, but the whole world safer by partnering with Russia, Japan and a few other nations and eliminating a huge threat by diplomacy.

Don't be naive, Kim Jong Il never cared about providing his people with clean energy or even anything resembling a life worth living. This was never about anything but a dangerous dictator with atomic bombs.

Peace through strength works.

[PHeller]

It's a shame it didn't work more often.

[krux]

As long as were even neutral with them thats all that matters to me.

[af3ll]

Damn it I was ready for another war.

[Buster]

It's a shame it didn't work more often.

You and I agree on that.

Luckily, it worked on the USSR, or we would've already been nuked like popcorn.

Well, most of you wouldn't have been born. :lol:

[JonsZX2SR]

Peace will only happen when all the Korean people are united as one nation. Right now the people in the north are being held hostage by a group of thugs passing as a government who run the nation as their personal gang turf.

Those running North Korea will never give up peacefully, because they know they would never be able to hold onto power in a united Korea.

As inhumane as it sounds, the best thing that might have happened is if aid were not given to the north, South Korea, Japan, the US, etc. had a loudly and publically stated goal for reunification and they waited until a rebellion started in the north.

[AZN_ZX2]

I don't care what happens as long as I stop getting asked if I am north or south korean. And as long as if a war breaks out I don't get deported or stuck in a camp or pulled over for being asian lol

And personally I don't think things will be resolved for at least another 15 years unless something drastic happens (rebellion, assasniation, nuke, etc)

[JonsZX2SR]

...starvation. It sounds cruel, but relief supplies given to the north just prop up the economy and the gov't prolonging the agony.

[Buster]

...starvation. It sounds cruel, but relief supplies given to the north just prop up the economy and the gov't prolonging the agony.

The NK Gov't is already taking care of that.


I do not believe there will ever be a reunification of the Koreas. They are running completely different types of governments right now and neither can trust the other.

If anything, China will take over one or both of them before the unite again.

[jdrzx2]

North Koreans are taught as from childhood to hate America and S. Korea through many means of propoganda. They probably have such a strong mindset about it that they'll never like us. Even if we help them out the government will not let them know what's going on. Their television and internet is has so many blocks on it they only see what K.J.I. wants them to see.

I don't think the two countries will ever unite unless their leader is taken out of power and they start taking care of themselves. Even then it would be decades before we see progress.

[Buster]

You are correct on all points. ^

[AZN_ZX2]

Keep in mind that the north korean government is kind of starving the people there so the amount the propaganda actually works is probably hindered by that. Also what we hear on the news and in articles could be a lot different than what is happening. I don't suppose there are a lot of US reporters over there.

[TSmiley98]

not true, Diane Sawyer did a spot in NK and the peopel there were very open to her, until someone of authority was present. They have alot of produckts that are "american" but dont know where they came from..

[AZN_ZX2]

I said I don't suppose there are a lot. The fact that you mentioned one doesn't make what I said wrong.

And the fact that the people there were open to her backs up that the propaganda isn't working very well.

[TSmiley98]

O i do believe the propaganda is shadowing peoples independent thought, but as for saying all of the people are brought up to hate america that is false.. I wasnt commenting about your statement anyways..

[AZN_ZX2]

Ohh ok nevermind I misunderstood. My fault.

Anyway I don't think this will be resolved for at least another twenty years.