Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - 4:12 PM
I said I was gonna ignore North Korea, and I still intend to. But I was struck by this comment by proven provider John McCreary in his NightWatch:
During the past 40 years North Korean leaders have been blustery but fundamentally risk averse. They have done nothing that would risk the total destruction of their state -- which means Pyongyang for all practical and symbolic purposes -- until now.... The actions in the past two days represent risk accepting behavior, defiance bordering on recklessness. This behavior began shortly after Kim Chong-il's stroke in August 2008. If Kim is ordering these actions, he has had a personality change, which can occur if dementia follows a stroke, according to medical authorities."
Pyongyang is provoking decisions, I suspect, that are beyond Kim Chong-il's comprehension.
Very troubling...
A government that departs in a major way from patterns of behavior it has followed for decades is not one that should be ignored.
This isn't a recommendation of a specific response to North Korean provocations, only a suggestion that dismissing the most recent developments as more boring bluster from a decrepit regime is imprudent. The closest consultations with the other four nations in the six-party group as to who is making decisions in Pyongyang and why are the first thing that needs to happen now.
I'm sure our 25K soldiers in S. Korea feel the same as you about what's going on there.
Nothing to see. Can't blame Bush. Nuclear weapons test and multiple missile tests. No biggie. Might make Obama look silly. Repeal of a half-century old ceasefire. Move on. Aren't Michelle's arms great? Journalism rocks!
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