N. Korea plays Iraq card

[dArKeR]

Seoul — North Korea on Monday accused the U.S. administration of making up reports about the North's nuclear weapons program as a pretext for war, saying it echoed similar allegations Washington made about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion.

The published commentary came as regional powers are trying to arrange a third round of talks on defusing the standoff over North Korea's nuclear ambitions. The United States, North Korea and four other nations agreed to meet before July, but no date has yet been set.

At issue are Washington's charges that North Korea is running a secret enriched uranium-based nuclear weapons program besides the plutonium-based one the communist nation has acknowledged.

http://theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040531.wkore0531/BNStory/International/

Why isn't this title 'N. Korea plays truth card'?

[Renew Deal]

1. And there you have it.

That's the way Bush has weakened us in the world. We have no credibility.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

2. HA! The "Cry Wolf" effect. Chickenhawks never read Aesop it seems. (nt)

[Deja Q]

3. With US troops already overextended in Iraq, it's nothing less than

audacious to be antagonizing other countries, surely?

N Korea
Iran
Syria

And if you ask me, the first two countries know something about war. (and if we couldn't handle Iraq, how the hell can we handle any more? We're still at it in Afghanistan for one thing, and if it weren't for the oil we'd be at Saudi Arabia's throats as well, I should wonder...)

[Wickerman]

4. And, 54,246 men and women would tell you that we shouldn't fuck with Korea

regrettably, they were KIA and that "conflict" was pretty much a draw.

http://www.abmc.gov/abmc46.htm

[donsu]

6. during the Korea war I wanted to tear my hair out with frustration

winters over there were hell. the military numbered the mountains. so the news reports would say things like - so and so units went up mountain 47 and recaptured that position. the next day they had to retreat and try to take the mountain again. All the while men are dying and being injured.

I'd scream at the insanity of males

we shouldn't have been there at all, and to die for a mountain in the forest was insane.

[Wickerman]

8. The Korean War, the more I read about it

seems as botched as the Vietnam War. Now we can add Iraq to the list. Actually, I am ashamed to say that until today I had no idea casualtie were that high. The Korean War really is the forgotten war.

thanks for your post, a chilling reminder of how stupid we become in conflicts.

[tlcandie]

11. Wow sounds like Fallujah!

How many times have the Iraqis regained control of it and then the US? :eyes:

[bemildred]

5. They fear to admit we have limits, a stupid position.

Nobody else is in doubt at this point.

[whosinpower]

7. My nephew

Worked in South Korea last year. I asked him rather bluntly what the average South Korean thought about the sabre rattling of the north.

They do not see the threat in the same context as the US. And these are next door neighbors with the only thing seperating them being the no man's zone. They want reunification. The south wants the north. Consider the US supported demilitarized zone the same as the Berlin wall. They(South Koreans) want it torn down. The people of North Korea are their family members and they are starving.

If this were to happen, the US would lose a fundamental operating military base in Asia. They would rather maintain the status quo. But more and more, Koreans want reunification. Should peace talks continue between the south and north, the US will be in a precarious position....much more precarious than the nuclear threat.

[teryang]

13. Exactly!

The administration has no post unification foreign policy in northeast Asia.

Unification would probably require our Armed Forces to abandon their privileged position in Korea and would render our system of alliances moot. What then of the positions in Okinawa? The alliance system is based upon the division of the Korean peninsula.

[cliss]

9. I have read that Kim Jong Il

felt extremely threatened when first George Bush in a speech rattled off names of the 'Axis of evil' and includes North Korea. A few months later, he invaded Iraq, #1 evil country.

At this point, Kim started speaking out publicly against the US, and playing one-upmanship games and saber-rattling. Who wouldn't?

As a matter of fact, Kim even said that we attacked Iraq because they were defenseless. "If they had had nuclear weapons, they wouldn't have attacked". So he felt good about having gone nuclear.

How that for encouraging disarmament?

And he's been doing it ever since. It's a hair-raising war of nerves, because Kim is such a wild card. Washington has just responded by laughing or poo-poohing Mr. "Ill", but others are biting their nails to the quick.

The problem is, we don't know what he's capable of, or how far he sould be pushed.

[bemildred]

10. Frankly, while I hold no admiration for Lil Kim,

I think the foreign policy stooges in Washington are
far more dangerous loose cannons than anyone in N. Korea.

[Bandit]

12. Amazing ~N. Korea (known for Lying) says USA is Lying to world

If this all wasn't so serious it would be totally hysterical. Pot calls the kettle black while world twiddles their thumbs.

[AndyTiedye]

14. But We Have Plenty of Nukes That Aren't Being Used Yet

and NK's nukes can only hit blue states
(and a couple of burdensome trading competitors)
so pResident Bring-Em-On has nothing to lose.
:nuke:

[Moderator]

15. Duplicate

Duplicate, please continue discussion in this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x592925