Obama Reveals Plans To Build A "Missile Defense Shield" Around North Korea
By Tyler Durden
While it has amounted to nothing more than mere populist posturing and jawboning, with the occasional entertaining (fabricated) clip of a submarine missile launch thrown in for good measure, North Korea’s launches of ballistic missiles have succeeded in provoking anger among the international community, which has so far been unable (or unwilling) to provide an adequate response to Kim Jong Il’s periodic “shows of strength”, mostly for domestic consumption.
However, Obama now appears ready to respond. In an interview with CBS’ Charlie Rose, Obama described the regime as “a massive challenge.”
“Our first priority is to protect the American people and our allies, the Republic of Korea, Japan, that are vulnerable to the provocative actions that North Korea is engaging in,” Mr. Obama said.
He said North Korea is “erratic enough” and the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, is “irresponsible enough that we don’t want them getting close.”
“But it’s not something that lends itself to an easy solution,” Mr. Obama said. “We could, obviously, destroy North Korea with our arsenals. But aside from the humanitarian costs of that, they are right next door to our vital ally, Republic of Korea.”
So how is Obama preparing to fend off threats from North Korea? It appears that the US will set up a missile defense system to surround North Korea and shoot down any future flying nuisances.
“One of the things that we have been doing is spending a lot more time positioning our missile defense systems, so that even as we try to resolve the underlying problem of nuclear development inside of North Korea, we’re also setting up a shield that can at least block the relatively low-level threats that they’re posing right now,” Obama said.
Which is surprising considering North Korea has no chance of ever launching a fully functioning ICBM, let alone one which can reach the US.
So what is the unsaid impetus for this move? Perhaps it is simply to deploy even more ships and military equipment in the region where recent diplomatic posturing between the US and China over various contested islands in the South China Sea has been the biggest geopolitical threat in recent years.
“How aggressive do you see the action in the South China Sea? And do you worry that they will cross some line, in which you’ll have to respond more aggressively?” Rose asked the president.
“I’ve been consistent, since I’ve been president, in believing that a productive, candid relationship between the United States and China is vital, not just to our two countries, but to world peace and security,” Mr. Obama said.
It’s not a zero-sum game, Mr. Obama added.
“What is true, though, is that they have a tendency to view some of the immediate regional issues or disputes as a zero-sum game,” he said. “So with respect to the South China Sea, rather than operate under international norms and rules, their attitude is, ‘We’re the biggest kids around here. And we’re gonna push aside the Philippines or …read more
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