An earthquake in northern Japan triggered claims today that the North Koreans had conducted their second nuclear weapons test in as many days.
From My Way News:
The earthquake came at a time when the Japanese government and other countries in Asia were jittery about reports that North Korea planned a second nuclear test.
"We have very real concerns that they may conduct another nuclear test and that they may do so very soon," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told reporters on Wednesday, a day after he met with North Korean Ambassador Chon Jae-hong to condemn the atomic program.
The scare began when Japanese media reported the government had detected tremors in North Korea, leading it to suspect Pyongyang had conducted a second nuclear test.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's spokesman confirmed the government was checking whether the North had tested another nuclear device.
Around the same time, the Japanese meteorological agency said a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 shook northern Japan Wednesday morning. The quake, which struck at 8:58 a.m., was centered off the coast of Fukushima, 149 miles northeast of Tokyo. The agency said that the tremor was a genuine quake and had nothing to do North Korean nuclear testing.
Who can blame the Japanese for being on edge? They are probably well within nuke-tipped missile range of the North Koreans, as are South Korea and Taiwan. Whether the DPRK test the other day was nuclear or not, these countries are living with a whole new reality that will probably never go away.
All three countries will soon be, once again, pursuing their own nukes, quite possibly touching off another nuclear arms race. As I mentioned in this post, the "Nuke Club" is about to get a whole lot bigger.
We all remember the recent missile launches from NK, and now they want to sit at the big boy table. Only seven other nations have joined that table and conducted nuclear tests and only nine countries have nuclear weapons: the U.S., United Kingdom, France, Israel, Russia, China, India, Pakistan and now, North Korea.
And there are more countries wanting a seat in the sandbox. According to experts, Egypt, Syria, Lybia, Taiwan, South Korea and Serbia and Montenegro are all on the "on-deck" list. Scared yet?
Now Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will also be seeking a free pass, much to the chagrin of China. Hence, China's hard stand against the recent activity of the DPRK.
The joy of having your very own nukes comes in the form of deterrence. You take them out once in awhile, trot them around the block, and make sure all the neighbors see that you have them. Then you give a big sigh, mutter I hope we never have to use these and stow them away again. The neighbors wince and the world is safe again.
But when your neighbors have them too, the point is lost, so it's time for a strategy change. Then it becomes a lose-lose scenario; you can get me and I can get you, so let's just call it even and try to get along. You don't like them, they don't like you, and when you pass each other on the street you wave and smile warmly, muttering under your breath. It's a tenuous peace, but peace nonetheless.
But then those people way over in the bad part of town get them and it's a whole new ballgame. Because they don't care about the things that normal, decent people care about, like breathing in and out. They only care about power. And money. You can't reason with people like that. You can't talk to them and play nice. You can't co-exist. You can only hold your breath and wait for that moment when they finally snap and hope it won't be too bad.
And here we are.
What will the world look like when all of these smaller nations have nukes? How long will it be before India and Pakistan destroy each other? Or Iran and Israel? Or Japan and NK?
That's the new reality.
But it gets worse. What if these people not only have them, but sell them to even more people? The really really bad people? Like Hezbollah, al Qaeda or the Taliban? In fact, here's a list of terrorist organisations, the North Koreans or the Iranians have only to pick a few and start the bidding. The term then, I believe, is plausible deniability.
Here's more excellent reading on the North Korean front:
- My Way News - Experts: Kim Shrewdly Rules North Korea
- My Way News - Pakistan Denies N. Korea Nuke Test Link
- The Clinton Legacy: North Korea's Bomb
- FOXNews.com - Bush: North Korea Claims are Threat to Peace and Security
- The Center for Security Policy
Also posting:
Recent Comments