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Time and place of the Kimster’s choosing

By John Batchelor on December 22, 2010 at 4:00 PM in Current Affairs

 

The face-off on the Korean peninsula will continue because it is the best way the Kims have to shake down the US and South Korea for cash.

Spoke with Gordon Chang and Bruce Bechtol, Sunday 19, and we watched with disgust the usual script play out. Bill Richardson of New Mexico in the Jimmy Carter role traveling to the Kimster’s toadies in Pyongyang to make promises and arrange a phony deal.

The ROK fired their guns into the Yellow Sea, satisfying the local martial spirit. The Kims will launch a reprisal at the usual time and place of the Kimster’s choosing. More tension. The Kims are going for a nuke test in the new year.

Cash-poor, nuke-rich, the Kims are playing the Obama administration as Carter/Clinton roll-over puppies.

Not inaccurate. Bruce Bechtol, author of Defiant Failed State, figures the DPRK strike will look like a special operations team or a missile strike, or some other mode not tried before.  The Kims are useful idiot pets to the Shanghai-based PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) aggression.  Spoke Toshi Yoshihara, Naval War College, re the PLAN ambition to build 3 or 4 medium-sized carriers to project to the first and second island chains.

Mentioned the Japanese Self-Defense Forces ambition to expand submarine fleet from 16 to 22, really good hunter killer stuff, to counter the PLAN.

The Kims nestled in between, part of the PLAN thinking to use the madness of the rogues as a buffer against the Japanese and Americans and ROK.

Arms race in the Eastern Pacific just getting under way for the 21st Century, POTUS Obama off to Oahu holiday, surrounded by the bot sharks of the future, oblivious to his no-nuke golfing.

nkorea_south korea.jpg

From the blog for the syndicated, nightly John Batchelor Show, on which Larry Johnson appears every Sunday night.

  • surfered

    Yes, yes it’s all Clinton’s and Obama’s fault.  Never mind it was Rumsfeld who presided over a $200 million contract in January 2000 to deliver equipment and services to build North Korea two light water reactor stations when he was executive director of Asea Brown Boveri. Then in April 2002, the Bush administration announced release of $95 million to begin construction of those reactors.

    A more “fair and balanced” analysis would agree that both Democratic and Republican adminstrations have been giving in to North Korea’s nuclear blackmail because no one else has come up with a better alternative.

    What’s your suggested policy?

  • HARP

    How about telling their top leaders that the first missiles will be landing where they and their families live? Your move Kim.

  • SeriouslySickOfOBama

    Mrs. Obama’s Separate Hawaii Travel Likely Costs at Least $63,000 http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2010/12/22/michelle-obama-hawaii/   The decision by First Lady Michelle Obama to leave on schedule for her two-week Hawaii vacation and not wait a few days for her delayed husband will probably cost taxpayers more than $63,000 in additional expenses, according to a White House Dossier analysis. ————- JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I COULD NOT GET MORE PISSED OFF FROM THIS WH AND ITS SPENDING SPREE, GRRRRRRRRRRRR

  • guest

    The Bush administration also whipped up the “nuclear threat” from North Korea to create unpredicta bility and uncertainty in the region that would help convince the Japanese public of the need to strengthen the alliance to maintain U.S. deterrence in the area while accelerating their own military buildup. What Great Britain was as lap dog for Iraq, Koizumi was for China/DPRK. Concerned about losing economic and political clout in the region to China, the U.S. plays the Japan card. Same reason we are against the reunification of North and South Korea. It would loosen American grip on the peninsula.

  • Ferd Not-My-Site-(click to edit) Berfle

    Indeed. Sometimes a big stick is necessary where carrots won’t work.

  • Mr. Natural

    Besides saddling their economy with a higher-than-current percentage of their GDP for Defense (and making their competitive place in the world economy look different), a rejuvenated Japanese Navy facing off against China and DPRK gets that job done at less expense than Uncle Sam paying for it.

    The logistics chain to EAsia is lengthy from CONUS. Supplying Japanese carriers from Sasebo or Hakkodate is much simpler than doing it from the West Coast of the US.

    There MIGHT even be a case to be made that it’s more Cost Effective to simply “subcontract out” Chinese/NKorean containment to Japan.

    I’m certain that, like the knotheads in this country who ask, “Who lost China?” every election, there are well-spoken, thoughtful men and women in Japan who would love to reclaim the Glory Days of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

    Plus, we could draw down troops in Okinawa (to Guam), which the Japanese hate like poison, give them back Yokosuka, Awakuni, Sasebo, Yokota, etc.

    Japan occupied Korea for 900 years. I’m certain they remember how to run East Asia.

    PR Splibs:

    “Rearm Japan and kick some Korean Ass!”

    or,

    “Japan: Tanned, Rested and ready get back in the Game.“ 

  • beyond_words

    Nuke rich?

    You mean the primitive device that is not deliverable by a warhead and has no guarantee of detonation by other methods? The crude non-deliverable (plutonium) bomb that isn’t even up to Hiroshima 1945 standards at maybe 1KT yield? Not likely “nuke rich”. Not saying they wouldn’t create havoc with arty / bio mind you…

  • Docelder

    What we wouldn’t give to have a Reagan as POTUS right now.

  • peaceful dove

    Bush was smart, declared war on Afghanistan’s Talibans but infiltrated Iraq. Bush and cliques were successful in siphoning Iraqi’s wealth and laughing all the way to banks at American people’s expense.

    Obama and Hillary are not as smart as Bush and cliques. North Korea (DPRK) is a poor nation without oil but nukes yet wanting to venture in her.

    Why want to risk being nuked for nothing? A protracted war would end up nothing as in the North-South Korean Wars in the 50′s and also the agony of being defeated in the Vietnam war in the 60′s!

    The only problem of the conflict in Korea is the stationing of 28k US soldiers in South Korea. Withdrawal of US troops in South Korea is the ultimate solution for a peaceful region in the areas.

    South Korea is capable of defending itself and China is more interested in defending its territories and has never been  venturing out of its territories since its existence 5,000 years ago. So why the USA want to create holiday resort camps for our armies in the region?

    USA has squandered US$ billions in Iraq and US$ Billions. Can USA squanders US$ billions in North Korea while the economy is in the abyss and unemployment rate in the country is 10%.

    USA must focus on its own economy and ameliorate the living conditions of the American people as top priority  and stopped spending gleefully  tax payers’ sweat and blood money for nothing acting  instead obsoletely as world police.

    Let the United Nations sort out all the world problems and not trying to be a pariah champion when USA can’t even take care of its own problems and yet want to help solved other nations’ problems.

    The American people must vote and elect diligent and honest politicians and must boot out those con and avaricious  politicians who are interested only  in their own pockets, egos, family members and cronies. Otherwise not American people will suffer but people all over the world will suffer also.

    The American people are smart people and have voted for change but alas, there is no real change after the elections. The American people must sort out this perpetual problem before real change can be realized.

    America is still the world number one at the moment but can’t say in the near future though if we elect nincompoops as CICs consistently! 

    peaceful dove

  • Onofre’s arm (required)

    Welcome to NQ Peaceful Dove! Your eloquence and focused insight is on par with three other noted NQ Statesmen; surfered, donjo, and Jackie.

    I look forward with great anticipation to your next contribution.

  • TC

    Why are we even still having this conversation?  North Korea is dirt poor.  As soon as Kim dies, just buy the country.  How much can it cost?  1 million Won per general star?  Scale down to 10,000 Won per junior grade officer? 

    How much is a Won anyway?  Surely much less than the cost of rebuilding Seoul, or dealing with millions of starving refugees.  It’s the best answer for all.  Buy off the military on the cheap and send in boatloads of food.  It won’t cost us a cent because China will pay us to print more funny money.  Everyone wins.

  • guest

    Why didn’t we do that in Iraq ? Or maybe it would be cheaper just to buy the land and give these guys a 30-day eviction notice. lol