North Korean provocations

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Tuesday, May 26, 2009 - 4:37 PM Share

Let's ignore them.

Flickr user (stephan)

EXPLORE:NORTH KOREA

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RPM

5:12 PM ET

May 26, 2009

You read my mind!

What if the DPRK gave an international crisis and nobody came? Ignoring those lunatics might be just the ticket. Anyway, the Chinese and/or the Russians will stifle any real international resolve and, short of actual military action, the US really has no leverage.

No public response.... Just a quiet backchannel message that the next action will be dealt with harshly and directly - and without further warning.

Speak softly and, etc, etc.

SIMPLESIMON

10:11 PM ET

May 26, 2009

North Korean provocations

Ignoring North Korean provocations would be a best solution for the time being but everyone knows that North Korea’s lifeline passes through Beijing. Only way to stop this continuing North Korean blackmail is for Obama administration to encourage Japan to go nuclear. If and when China hollers against it, US has to demand that China reign in on its client state if China wants non-nuclear East Asia. That is the only leverage that will work against North Korea.

WALKING WOUNDED

10:24 PM ET

May 26, 2009

What about the Long Dong II missile?

We can't let pass an opportunity to fret on a possible capability to develop plans that if implemented might have the capacity to hit Starbucks, or Wasilla. If that's not enough of an imminent existential threat, then the 'overreact to a 1% threat' policy ought to kick in. That is still in force under a vice presidential finding. Isn't it?

BLUE13326

11:49 AM ET

May 27, 2009

It's hilarious that the same

It's hilarious that the same people who were talking about how the Bush North Korea policy was such a disaster after their 2006 test and we had to make drastic changes are now saying even more serious provocations in Obama's first months are no big deal and we should just ignore them.

You should be ashamed for believing the line about how Obama would make the world love us; there's no difference between you and the ignorant hicks in the Old West who bought bottles of snake oil from traveling hucksters who thought they could cure any disease.