Henry Kissinger Imagines A Solution To North Korea
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By Henry Kissinger for WSJ
For more than 30 years, the world’s response to North Korea’s nuclear program has combined condemnation with procrastination. Pyongyang’s reckless conduct is deplored. Warnings are issued that its evolution toward weaponization will prove unacceptable. Yet its nuclear program has only accelerated.
The Aug. 5 sanctions resolution passed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council marked a major step forward. Still, an agreed objective remain
Astute commentary. From an immigrant. From an nonagenarian. From an “old friend of the Chinese people”
http://www.fangkc.com/2013/08/who-are-old-friends-of-the-chinese-people/
The Chinese want and need a few things in order to help move N Korea away from their nuclear program and it is going to take some real political skill to get an agreement that the US, China, N. Korea, Japan, Russia and of course S Korea can all live with. China and N. Korea want the US out of the Korean Peninsula for starters, if we weren’t there and probably won’t be sometime in the future anyway this would be a regional issue. Look China is consolidating their might (financial and militarily) and realistically there is NOT a damn thing we can do about it. China will eventually, if not already control and make deals with the entire region and that means with Russia (large oil deal already) Japan and S. Korea.
That is where we come into the picture while we still have some sway in the region and sit down with the Chinese and Russians and work out our exit from the area. At that point China WILL get N. Korea to disarm one way or another because they export close to 90% of all goods that N. Korea needs. S.Korea and Japan will still work with the US but also have better relations with China and Russia and we would have better relation with China and Russia as well, that is not a bad thing. Complicated, you bet but doable on some level. China wants and will get their way in the far east one way or another, just look at how their influence is moving at light speed and our’s is waning and has been for a while. Russia will still on the outside looking in but needs to be an important part of this scenario.
So can the US live with less influence in the far east, make a plausible shift and show leadership in a situation that has to dealt with in the near future anyway. We should be consolidating our ties in the west with Europe, South America and Africa and right now we are not. You be the judge whether we have that leadership or NOT.