North Korea - Nuclear Testing

For me the current "Crises" related to North Korea's conducting a nuclear test and the resulting "lack of options" that the United States has is very illustrative and interesting.

How we can insist that the U.S. will not negotiate with North Korea directly is absurd and non-defensible to me. While the U.S. Government may prefer to have a negotiation with other major world powers is understandable. To insist however that we will not talk is crazy, pretentious and self-defeating.

The more that a situation is dangerous in the world, the more important it is that we keep communication open. The fact that North Korea is so isolated and so "dangerous" is all the more reason that we should be striving to talk with its leadership.

Whether we think it rational (and I do) or not, the North Korean leadership feels that they are in danger of a U.S. invasion or other interference in their existence or leadership. Whether they really want "peace" with the U.S. can be questioned and is by many people.

There is a danger of a future nuclear war in the world which is certainly increased as North Korea and other countries get nuclear weapons. As the United States is the only country which has used such weapons in actual wars, having killed many people with them, we are hardly the "innocent bystanders" on this issue. Though this happened six years before I was born, my government did this.

The U.S. has long supported the governments of India, Pakistan and Israel which all have nuclear weapons. Until or unless we are willing to limit our own actions and have agreements which include most, if not all, nuclear powers, we have no moral right to insist that the North Korean Government do anything.

Hearing our Government talk on this and similar issues I'm left with this lingering disgust in my mouth - we're not the pure good or better than others - as we're talked of.

We are no better or worse than others in many ways. We are THE military power in the world and many people in many countries have good reasons to fear us. We continue to push others around and act like a bully. We're far from innocent!

Thanks!