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| Image by Rob Rogers |
North
Korea is branded a rogue nation with their Dear Leader portrayed as a
psychopath bent on destroying the US or any nation that criticises him or his
alleged provocative actions. His persistent testing of missiles which are assumed
to be nuclear capable ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) is condemned
daily, by specifically, the US and its allies and perpetuated by a pliant
mainstream media. The global perception, as a result of this condemnation and
media frenzy, unsurprisingly categorizes the North Korean leader as an evil
maniac itching to start another world war. On the face of it, the projected
perception makes any logical thinking person agree with this status quo. But as
in any situation, there are always two sides to a story, and this little story
is no exception.
The
history of the North Korean/US relationship goes way back to the Korean War between
North Korea/China and South Korea/US from 1950 through 1953. Near the end of
the war, the US military ran amok on the Korean Peninsula, and wiped out approximately 30% of the North Korean population. Included in its vast arsenal of
conventional weapons, chemical weapons (Napalm) were used in abundance. The
amount far exceeded the quantity used in the entire Second World War by the US.
The destruction wrought was a deliberate, horrific slaughter of men, women and
children from a war mongering nation against another. In the North Korean
capital of Pyongyang, only two buildings were left standing. A total of seventy
eight cities were flattened. The US only
relented when the Chinese intervened. The North Koreans will never forget; and all
its leaders since, have vowed never again would their nation be subjected to
such brutality. Thus, it was agreed that the only way they could protect
themselves from such brutality was to create a deterrent. Hence, the North
Korean Nuclear arms programme.
Since
the Korean war, the US maintained up to 54 military bases in South Korea, but eventually scaling down to the current 16,
with at least three on the border of the two countries. This excludes the bases
stationed in Japan and the Island of Okinawa of which there are no less than
20. With these bases in South Korea, the US, in partnership with the South
Korean military, conducts annual military exercises on the peninsula with a strategic
focus of the “decapitation of Kim Jong Un and his Generals”; basically, regime
change. As if that is not enough provocation, the US persistently overflies B-1B
bombers over North Korea in “simulations” with their ally. Suffice it to say, these B-1B bombers flies
from a military base in Guam. This may explain the Dear Leader’s threat of a
possible attack on Guam. A total of eleven such overflights had occurred since
May 2017. The simulation exercises for this year, bizarrely named Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, is taking place throughout this month of August, and includes the
militaries of South Korea (50, 000 troops), Australia, Canada, Netherlands and
Japan.
By
now you are probably wondering why the US is threatening and bullying a small
country like North Korea with a population of only 26 million people. Without stressing
the obvious fact that the US government is nothing but a schoolyard bully, who
finds pleasure in picking a fight with small nations who are unable to fight
back, (like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Granada, Yemen), this is no exception, but
with underlying strategic intentions.
Let
me put this into perspective. North Korea is the only country in North East
Asia that is not an ally of the US/West, but is instead aligned with China and
Russia. China is North Korea’s number one economic trading partner, with Russia
being the second. The US strategically wants total control over the East China
Sea and the Sea of Japan in its bid to contain China’s influence in the region
and in so doing have complete control of Regional Economic activity aligned
with its own interests. The growth of the Chinese economy and the expansion of
their regional influence (throughout Asia and Eastern Europe) have the US
government pissing in their pants. The strategic partnership between Russia and
China on all diplomatic fronts, has already gained significant traction in
Eastern Europe and Central/South Asia through bodies such as ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations), SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) and the
EEU (Eurasian Economic Union). The diplomatic relationships and trade
partnerships forged between members of these Organisations are changing the
political and economic landscapes in the region. For obvious reasons, the US
and the West is doing whatever they can to derail this amalgamation of nations.
The
Chinese have a standard military agreement in place with North Korea since
1961, in that, should the North Koreans be attacked militarily, the Chinese are
obliged to assist militarily. Conversely, should the North Koreans invoke a military
provocation and start a war, the Chinese would be neutral. The tense stand-off of
the US/Korean crisis, has seen China and Russia call for restraint on both
sides and urged the US to refrain from their provocation with their military
exercises in exchange for Pyongyang suspending their missile tests. The latest
missile test by Pyongyang is a direct response to the persistent military
exercises by the US and its allies. Yet, only one side of this situation is
covered by the mainstream media with the US playing the victim amid threats of
full scale war against North Korea. However, all this rhetoric, sabre rattling
and hubris coming out of Washington will amount to nothing lest they forget the
implications of starting a fire fight with the Dear Leader.
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