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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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 OPINION 
9

Time to Get Tough With N. Korea

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(Newser) – Getting Laura Ling and Euna Lee out of North Korea was a cakewalk compared to the real diplomatic struggles between the Obama administration and the rogue nation, writes Nicolas Kristof. The New York Times columnist, who has visited North Korea five times, used to favor engagement with Kim Jong-Il's regime. But amid growing evidence that the North is offering nuclear weapons technology to Burma, "I've reluctantly concluded that we need more sticks."

Not long ago it seemed possible that diplomacy could lead the North to give up its nuke program, the columnist writes, but "these days that seems virtually hopeless." And the relentless propaganda machine inside "the most totalitarian state in history" has crushed any hope of a grass-roots revolution. If it wants to stop Kim, the US should work with allies for more sanctions—even China is "surprisingly cooperative"—and stop nuclear technology shipments, even by force.

Bill Clinton listens to Laura Ling after she and Euna Lee returned to the United States following months of captivity in North Korea.
Bill Clinton listens to Laura Ling after she and Euna Lee returned to the United States following months of captivity in North Korea.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
President Barack Obama speaks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, about the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee.
President Barack Obama speaks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, about the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee.   (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
South Korean activists stage a rally demanding the release of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee in Seoul.
South Korean activists stage a rally demanding the release of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee in Seoul.   (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
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Where we have intelligence that North Korean ships are transferring nuclear materials, we should board those vessels. That’s an extreme step, but the nightmare would be if Iran simply decided to save time and buy a nuclear weapon. -

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shonangreg
Aug 6, 09 7:59 AM CDT
I'm glad there are seemingly reasonable dissenting opinions on this. But if North Korea sees the hopelessness of the situation; if it knows Hillary Clinton was right when she said they have no more friends and can only face the demands of the world, then simply showing the sticks may have already worked. ....... I know that is an idealistic interpretation of what's going on, but only Obama and Clinton and their team is going to have all the facts and be in a position to judge what is true and what we should do. Reply
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godawgs
Aug 6, 09 8:09 AM CDT
if they feel as they are going to be pushed into a corner, which it seem is what the article is suggesting then we might have bigger issues. NK would fire a nuclear weapon at Japan most likely or Hawaii which would suck. My concern with attacking NK (if we had too) is whose side would China really be on? They are both communist countries, and there are not many left in the world. Those guys usually stick together. Once you start getting other countries involved we start to have another world war and that is not going to end well for anyone.
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emptycalm
Aug 6, 09 10:45 AM CDT
@godawgs I think china is a bit too invested in our economy and I'm sure they have no intention of fighting our military. we can offer them so much more than NK. Also, China is a socialist govt while NK is completely fascist under a guise of forced communism.
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godawgs
Aug 6, 09 1:35 PM CDT
@ec i was unaware that china was solicaist. i do agree that they have a vested interest in our economy since they own a large part of ti and we buy most many of our products from them. good point and thanks for setting me straight.
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shonangreg
Aug 6, 09 10:10 AM CDT
China is in it for its won interests (that was a typo, "own" is what I intended, but won/yuan is good too). It will help the US insofar as cooperation gets rewards. But maybe there is a limit on how useful North Korea can be even to China. ................ And North Korea's big threat now is still conventional. They purportedly have thousands of mortars, cannons, and rockets aimed at Seoul. By all accounts, North Korea could kill tens of thousands in just a few hours. Strikes against Japan or Hawaii are still MUCH less feasible. Reply
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