Are We Headed Toward Korean War II?
It’s déjà vu vu all over again. North Korea is on the march again. In our history we’ve been involved in 12 major wars.
Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan War, and the Iraq War.
There have been other instances where soldiers put boots on the ground. Granada, Panama, etc.
World War II was the last war officially declared by Congress. All wars since have been described as “police actions” or some other nondescript, non-war terminology.
Politically Correct Wars
After World War II nations all over the globe decided that wars should have some rules. So they came up with the Geneva Convention.
If the Geneva Convention had been in effect before WWII it’s doubtful that Harry Truman could have dropped two nuclear weapons on Japan.
Keeping this in mind what does one do with a regime that really doesn’t care about the Geneva Convention?
The North Vietnamese sure didn’t. I can attest to that from first hand knowledge.
Vietnam was our first truly politically correct war. It came right into our living rooms on the nightly news.
We had to live by the rules of the Geneva Convention and the North Vietnamese didn’t. Did American’s do bad things in Vietnam — you bet.
War is hell, as anyone who’s been there will tell you.
So What Happens With Korea?
What are America’s options if push comes to shove — Another 20-year war that seems to go on with no end?
That’s pretty much what a politically correct war would mean. What about China and Japan who already don’t like each other very much? Where are they in all this?
If bombs start falling will China sit back and watch the show or do they come to the aid of the buffer between them and South Korea?
And what does that do to our trade and economic relationship with China?
There’s a lot more going on here than just who can blow the biggest hole in the globe.
War Presidents
The last war president who was in any kind of serious leadership position was Eisenhower. Kennedy had a boat shot out from under him.
Other than that being Commander in Chief is pretty much a title and little else in today’s world.
Not sure how a president that’s never seen war will act when suddenly thrust into the thick of one.
With Russia losing the cold war we assumed that the threat of nuclear war had moved on and cooler heads had prevailed. Now that threat seems to be growing again both in Iran and North Korea.
The only saving grace at the moment is their force was built in the 70s and is highly unreliable as recent tests have confirmed.
Some Final Thoughts
Diplomacy would be the ideal solution if such a thing were possible. But in order for diplomacy to work both sides have to have an incentive to compromise and co-exist with some kind of workable agreement.
How’s that Korean Truce working out after 60 years? Anyone compromising there yet?
If North Korea were to attack Guam or the US mainland the best we might be able to do is what Trump did in Syria — attack a military air base or some other military target.
You’re not going to blow up Kim in his palace in the middle of Pyongyang.
This could be, and probably will be, a real mess in the coming years. Just what America doesn’t need right now as we are slowly regaining economic super-power status.
If war is the end result in all of this it will be a job creator. But not the kind of jobs Americans need.
We should be passing healthcare, infrastructure, and tax reform not preparing for another politically correct conflict no one will win.
What do you think?
Comments below
South Korea announced on February 10, 2016 that the country would close an industrial complex jointly ran with North Korea, as the strongest response for North's recent nuclear test and rocket launch. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)