Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Will Offshore Searches Slow North Korean Nukes?

A North Korean coast defense ship, center rear, patrols near the fishing boats in waters off North Korea's Hwanghae province, seen from South Korea's western Yeonpyong Island, near the disputed sea border with communist North Korea, Sunday, May 31, 2009. Ahn Jung-won / Yonhap / AP

From Time Magazine:

After more than 15 years of largely fruitless diplomacy, the U.S. and its allies are preparing a high-seas quarantine to try to ensure that North Korea's nuclear knowledge doesn't leach beyond its borders. While the details remain to be worked out, President Obama — after meeting with South Korea president Lee Myung-bak in Washington on Tuesday — indicated the battle to contain North Korea's atomic aresenal is headed offshore. "This is not simply a U.S. policy — this is an international policy," Obama said of the evolving plan to search North Korean vessels suspected of ferrying arms or nuclear components. "This was part of what the [U.N.] Security Council resolution calls for — the interdiction of arm shipments."

Read more ....

My Comment: I doubt that it will slow down North Korea's nuclear program, but to save face the North Koreans will react militarily .... are we ready for that?

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