Deadly convoy: Dozens of U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons demonstrate an 'Elephant Walk' as they taxi down a runway during an exercise at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, to practise for a wartime mission. This picture is among a gallery of images chosen to showcase a year in the life of the U.S. Air force in 2012
Michael Auslin, Wall Street Journal: Will South Korea Go Nuclear?
Seoul’s leading newspaper suggests acquiring nuclear arms, as confidence wanes in U.S. defense guarantees.
North Korea’s latest rocket launch has sent the global community into another frenzy. While diplomats promise more sanctions against Pyongyang, some of South Korea’s leading voices are losing patience with the international community.
The Chosun Ilbo is South Korea’s most respected newspaper and has deep ties to the country’s elites. So a recent unsigned editorial entitled “South Korea Must Discuss Acquiring Nuclear Arms” should make Washington sit up and take notice. It reflects Seoul’s diminishing trust in its American ally and may provide a glimpse of what nuclear proliferation in Asia will look like.
The language of the editorial was brutal. It reprimanded U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for failing to come to an agreement earlier this month with Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart, over how to respond to North Korea’s latest nuclear test: “The U.S. has passed the buck for taming North Korea to China, and China is doing nothing. Seoul now faces a real need for public discussion of the development of its own nuclear weapons.”
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WNU Editor: This is what a super-power in decline looks like .... even your closest allies have doubts that you will keep your promises and commitments.
3 comments:
Actually a nuclear armed South Korea is long overdue. They've had over 60 years to be able to prepare for their own defense.
Where and when possible, the IS should help them develop these weapons. If handled properly, this would allow the US to maintain good relations with South Korea, providing us with a counterweight (along with Japan) against China and North Korea, and will allow us to finally allow us to redeploy our forces away from South Korea which likely further benefit our alliance with them meaning in the event of hot war with North Korea, China, or both we would actually have a reliable and capable ally that is more able and willing to assist us than they currently are/can. As such, this should be good for us all the way around. US officials should be pushing this.
As for the superpower in decline remark, Russia and China are the most powerful military forces on earth. The US is simply one of several major military powers. At least half of Americans seem to understand this. American power has been long overrated by a number of pundits. Furthermore the gap between Russia and China and the US is growing with no reasonable prospect for the US ever being able to close this gap at any time in the foreseeable future. This is all the more reason we need strong allies who can help us provide a valuable defense perimeter against such adversaries and potential adversaries.
While a nuclear armed North Korea is long overdue, it does need to be understood that at this time there is no military posture that is going to allow South Korea to prevail in a war against North Korea. Ultimately North Korea working alone or with its Chinese and Russian allies would prevail. The best we/South Korea can expect to do is to make the inevitable victory by North Korea and/or its allies pyric enough that they would not consider the attack in the first place.
A nuclear armed South Korea would be extremely helpful in tis regard. This should have been pursued long, long ago. There's no time like the present for the leaders of South Korea to get started on this!! If the US can assist in this regard, we can strengthen our relations with South Korea as well perhaps fostering necessary goodwill that may make them more likely to assist us should we need it.
Perhaps the US could even take the lead on helping the South Koreans move in this direction. This in concert with a timetable for redeployment of US forces agreed to in private by US and SK officials would prove invaluable to our national security needs and maintaining good relations with South Korea. Even if South Korea ultimately fails at least US forces could be properly deployed to allow them a fighting chance at defending the American mainland.
In the second paragraph, I meant US not IS.
This is why China needs to control North Korea better. It controls the oil NK lives on. Simply closing the tap a bit could influence them. But it seems NK is paying less attention to China because of internal domestic power plays. The Chinese also fear a collapse of North Korea, because of the inevitable refugee crisis that would occcur. The more NK acts out, the more money that SK and Japan. Will poor into their militaries. At some point one or both will go nuclear. This will directly threaten China's position the the region. This situation has little to do with the US. I doubt with all of the military resources the US is deploying and has continued to deploy over the decades the either Japan or SK are concerned.
As for the US military, it is by far the dominant military in the world. China and Russia have been advancing their capabilities, but are significantly behind in air and sea forces. Neither have the ability to project the
Ier power far beyond their borders, they they have been making some moves in that direction.
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