North Korea Does A Nuclear And Missile Test .... What Now?

Osama bin Laden (l.) and Kim Jong Il. 'Could this guy believe he could sell a nuclear bomb to Osama bin Laden? Why not?' says one expert, referring to the North Korean dictator. Photo AP

Will North Korea Use Its Nuclear Bombs - Or, Possibly Worse, Let Them Fall Into Terrorists' Hands? -- From The New York Daily News

WASHINGTON - North Korea's nuclear test makes it no likelier that the regime will actually launch a nuclear attack, but it adds a scary dimension to another threat: the defiant North as a facilitator of the atomic ambitions of others, potentially even terrorists.

It also presents another major security crisis for President Barack Obama, already saddled with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a nuclear problem with Iran.

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DMZ and a look into North Korea

My Comment:

Twenty Years ago I had the opportunity to visit the DMZ in Korea.

That image will always stay in my mind.

When I looked at North Korea I saw poverty, harshness, and a heavy military presence .... and complete silence. Even the birds were quiet.

Since then I have had the good fortune of visiting scores of countries in my life. I have seen wars and revolution. Conflicts big and small. But my impressions of North Korea has always stayed the same.

If there is ever a war that will cost tens of thousands of American lives ... it will not be from Russia or China. Iraq or Afghanistan .... and I can even add ... Iran. Nope .... it will be because of North Korea. They have the military and infrastructure to cause a great deal of destruction and carnage in a very short period of time. Having tactical nukes will only make this scenario more possible and probable.

The reason why is clear .... because the message from North Korea is also clear. North Korea has the missiles and the ability to install small tactical nukes on them. Give us what we want, or we will be selling this technology abroad.

Unfortunately for all of us, the international community has been totally useless on this issue. In fact, one can argue that countries like China and Russia .... with smaller countries like Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and Bolivia ... have all been complicit in this event. Russia providing technology and the education to North Korean scientists on nuclear technologies, China feeding North Korea with the staples that it requires to exist as a state, and countries like Bolivia and Venezuela to provide the material to produce and refine fissionable material.

What will come out of this should trouble all of us. Japan is positioning itself to reassert itself militarily. Iran now knows that no one (with the exception of the Israelis) will stop its nuclear program. Smaller powers are now seriously looking at developing their own nuclear deterrent, with much of this focus now happening in the Middle East.

Stopping nuclear proliferation is not possible in this international environment. The Russians and Americans may cut back their stockpiles in talks this year, but scores of smaller powers are now looking at positioning themselves to develop their own nuclear programs .... nuclear programs that can be quickly converted to nuclear weapons programs.

Can we stop this .... the answer is no. What is different this time is that everyone now knows that a certain line has been crossed ... and what will happen after this is anyone's guess.