NEOAVATARA

Part I can be read here.  Part II can be read here.  My page on North Korea can be read here.

UPDATE: Obama has failed in achieving any real harsh resolutions at the UN.  A strongly worded statement is likely to be issued tomorrow.  It increases sanctions…which are irrelevant to a country that had less than $100 million in trade last year.  Additionally, China doesn’t appear to be willing to abide by the stictest terms of the agreement, which makes it useless.  In other words, this is a complete repeat of the last UN resolution…that led to a nuclear explosion and a ICBM launch.

Oh, and shock…North Korea, in retribution to this weak UN resolution…is planning another nuclear test.  Of course, this comes a week after Kim’s youngest son was named heir…which makes you wonder…will they become even more intransigent now?  They have even threatened nuclear war, and, yup…they are threatening to weaponize plutonium. Good news..

This is progress?

You know what happens when you let little brats to get away with bad behavior?  They act worse.

And that is what Kim Jong-Il and North Korea are doing.  Today they sentenced Laura Ling and Euna Lee to 12 years in a hard labor camp for trespassing on their territory.  This is basically a finger in the eye of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, whose diplomacy has utterly failed in achieving anything positive with North Korea.  Obviously, the North Koreans feel they can act with impugnity.

So now, the U.S. is left with almost no choices.  They have taken military action off the table.  The Chinese are unwilling to do anything, even after a ICBM launch and a second nuclear detonation.  Japan is seriously considering going nuclear.

Ah, things are going swimmingly.

As for the two reporters, in all likelihood they will be released…when North Korean and Kim get the most they can for bartering them.

The thing is, the U.S. now has no collateral.  Once Obama and Hillary Clinton have taken confrontation (military or otherwise) off the table, then what does North Korea have to lose?

The first step should be to put North Korea back on the terrorist watch list if they do not return the journalists immediately.  It should be quid pro quo.  North Korea was taken off the watch list specifcally so they would open up their nuclear program; they have reneged on that, so they should be put back on the list, no?  Yet, the Obama Administration is considering the option.  I am not sure I understand what there is to consider.

Second, the U.S. is working with allies on setting up an embargo to North Korea to halt any shipments of nuclear technology.  Again, I think this should be obvious, not some profound statement.  They are also looking at sanctions, but what use are sanctions when China does not abide by them?

Obama now has a real crisis on his hands.  Tensions were already out of control on the Korean peninsula, and that was before the journalists were sentenced.  Now, clearly more public pressure will be placed on the Administration to achieve the release of the journalists.  Obama has two choices:  take a Bush-like hard line, or be conciliatory.  Which road he takes will speak volumes to the rogue nations of the world where America stands.