Attacking North Korea, a Dangerous Proposal

In yesterday's blog entries I included a link to an Op-Ed piece found in The Washington Post. The piece dealt with the possibilities of attacking North Korea's missile on the launch pad before it is tested. The piece was authored by two former Clinton defense officials, William Perry and Ashton Carter.

After reading and digesting the arguments put forth in this piece, I have concluded to attack North Korea would be a dangerous military venture that could distabalize global politics. The reaction in the world community to another unilateral strike by the United States at a sovereign country is an unknown factor in this debate.

The Op-Ed piece offers that the U.S. should make clear that South Korea would have no role in this attack. It says that Japan would welcome the bold move on the part of the United States, bringing our two nations closer. The most unpredictable conclusion made in this piece is that Russia and China would give the U.S. a pass on this action because of the failure of the Six Party Talks to reslove nuclear issues surrounding North Korea.

I am not a foreign policy export, yet I do believe the North Koreans are practicing a bit of global "wedge" politics. By threatening to test a missle capable of delivering nuclear war heads to the United States, the North Koreans are challenging the bravado of the Bush Administration's Preemptive Doctrine. It is no secret, the nations involved in the Six Party talks have a vested interest in keeping North Korea in check. Attacking North Korea unilaterally would shatter any hope of a diplomatic sollution and would bring the world into a second Cold War.