The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not a fool as the media try to make us believe. So why such a small country, so far from the routes and the most strategic places in the world should aspire to acquire an atomic bomb? Who threatens it?
A common European (or American) citizen might think it is really a nonsense that North Korea has detonated its fifth atomic bomb in 10 years with the last of them even powerful enough to equal that of Hiroshima.
The first experiment was conducted in 2006, a second and third respectively in 2009 and 2013. This year, the first blast occurred in January and caused an earthquake of 5.1 degrees in the Richter scale. The Koreans declared (among general disbelief) it was a hydrogen bomb. There is no doubt, instead, about the strength of the last one, that has developed a 5.3-degree earthquake.
An official statement from the North Korean government claims to be now able to produce “any amount” of nuclear warheads desired, even “smaller, lighter and diversified” and possessing the technology to produce and use different fissile materials. The same statement adds: “This test is a demonstration of the most determined will of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Korean people to always be ready to respond against the enemies if they make provocations, as it is part of the practical countermeasures to the racket of threats and sanctions against Korea unleashed by American-led hostile forces. The DPRK will take further measures to increase the nuclear force of the state in quality and quantity to safeguard its dignity, the right to existence and a genuine peace in front of the US threats of a nuclear war”.
With this press release we understand what has been the goal that prompted Pyongyang to lead the last two tests: the desire to be accepted among the world’s nuclear powers.
Until a few years ago, the “strategy of the bomb” had been just a negotiating tool to obtain assurances that the regime would not be subject to enemy attacks. What the Kim family feared the more was the loss of independence of the country because of external enemies.
Be inserted in the list of “Rogue States” by the American administration was certainly not reassuring and, for a certain period of time, the Kims grandfather and father of the present one tried to “exchange” the threats to develop nuclear weapons with official recognition by the world powers. This would have been validated with the arrival of energetic and economic aid from the US and the signing of the Peace Treaty that still is expected after the end of the war of the fifties (currently there is only a mere truce, the longest in history). Despite apparent progresses in that direction, nothing happened and the six-party talks (in addition to North Korea and the US, also South Korea, China, Japan and Russia participated) were interrupted and resumed several times.
In 2011, however, something happened that convinced the Koreans to change strategy. Libya had also been defined, since the Reagan Presidency in 1980, a “rogue state” and only later Bush junior added Iraq, Iran and North Korea. About Iraq we know the history and about Iran we will see in the coming years what’s going to happen, but about Libya must be remembered that in 2003, not to take the risk to be “eliminated” like Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi claimed to renounce in whole any nuclear program proving to be willing to all kind of collaboration with the West. Apparently it was not enough because, despite having ceased to be a danger to the world for several years, Europe and the US were not grateful and in 2011 Gaddafi was however deposed and killed. If he had developed a nuclear defense – it is believed in North Korea – no one would have dared to attack him. Kim Jong-un does not want the same fate and so abandoned the tactic of negotiating on nuclear arming and, on the contrary, he aims to go straight forward the way. Since there, the tests and the threat of the possibility of immediate retaliation if attacked: the regime declares, in fact, to be able to launch ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads also over US territory. Although this capacity is considered unlikely by “experts”, it is believed out of any doubt that North Korean missiles can reach easily both South Korea and Japan.
The reactions of the imperialist world were of condemnation. Actually, Beijing is also very embarrassed: the aggressive stance of Pyongyang has already given the Americans an excuse for new joint military operations with South Korea and the nuclear test of last January had prompted them to give more guarantees to its allies in the area by sending in the peninsula long-range bombers B-52, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. In addition, the last three missiles launched in direction of Japan had pushed Washington to promise also the installation, by the end of July 2017, of the THAAD missile defense system. This deployment of forces to its borders certainly does not please Beijing which has already protested denouncing that the THAAD also serve to spy on the same China.
The recent North Korean nuclear explosion brings water to those who claim the need for new defense tools in the area. Nor can it be excluded that the atomic danger could push Japan and Korea to rethink their entire defense system asking, in the same way, to be equipped with nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
If China – which is the point of arrival or passage of more than 80 percent of North Korean trade – really wanted, the regime would be brought to its knees within a few weeks. However, this would mean a local factor of instability which could advantage Seoul and Washington. That’s why China shall never really sanction Pyongyang.
For the West there are few choices: insist on the sanctions is a forced move but without the full participation of China will mean little. The alternative is simply to officially acknowledge that North Korea is now a Nuclear State, exactly as was done with India and Pakistan, and treat it with due respect. Hands off the People’s Korea!
Source: Sputnik
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