President Obama is faced with the same pesky challenge that Bush and Clinton both had, and unfortunately, he has very little chance of solving this dilemma, almost no matter what he does. It is clear that the North Korean dictator has the world stumped. His nuclear capability is problematic for a wide range of reasons, but his threat to South Korea and the US probably pales in comparison to his ability to destabilized the nuclear community by continuing to sell the technology to the rest of the world's despots and fascists. Without an economic and military blockade of North Korea, executed by China, the upcoming Security Council resolution will be just as hollow as every one before now.
This is a terrible dilemma, and if Obama manages to be there when this one is solved, I will be the first one to applaud. Even if he gets lucky and China rescues the situation, Obama will deserve to take some of the credit for being a part of the solution. Clinton and Bush should have listened to Bolton a longtime ago, but the simple truth is that Kim Jung-il is insane and pathological. Unfortunately, the only real option to him, is the North Korean military, and they can not be expected to be any more rational that he is.
Posted by: |