North Korea Nuclear Crisis Raises Tensions

Just a week or so ago, Barack Obama pledged to begin a unilateral scrapping of our nuclear weapons. Since then, North Korea has been taking some very provocative steps. Again, I have to wonder if North Korea's actions were calculated based based on Obama's stance and words.

Now, the situation has become worse. North Korea announced that it was pulling out of the treaty that ended the Korean War more than 50 years ago. This has lead to heightened tensions in the region and U.S. and South Korean troops have gone on high alert.

Apparently, North Korea sees our efforts at controlling nuclear proliferation and preventing terrorists from getting their hands on a nuclear weapon as an "act of war."

From BBC News:

Pyongyang has blamed its decision on South Korea's decision to join a US-led initiative to search ships for nuclear weapons, calling it a "declaration of war". "Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels, including search and seizure, will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty," said a spokesman for the North's army. "We will immediately respond with a powerful military strike."

So, how does the Obama administration respond to this? Read what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did:

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the North's violation of Security Council resolutions, but also held out hope that North Korea would return to six-nation disarmament talks.

I'm sure that the communists in Pyongyang are quaking with fear over Clinton's statement. The truth is that with a President who is weak on national security and even weaker on dealing with rogue nations seeking nuclear weapons, North Korea and Iran have become emboldened in their actions.

The longer Obama and company maintain a weak dispostition towards DPRK and the Islamic Republic, the closer we will come to having a nuke snuck into our country and detonated.

You can access the complete story on-line here:

Alert Level Raised On North Korea
BBC News
May 28, 2009

North Korea Tests Nukes And Iran Deploys Bluewater Navy

I'd bet my next paycheck that back during the 2008 Presidential Campaign, when Barack Obama pledged to sit down with Iran without any pre-condidtions, that the governments of Iran and North Korea were listening very intently even if the voters who voted for Barack Obama were not.

In fact, recent developments lead me to believe that the governments of Iran and North Korea took their current actions precisely because of what Obama promised.

First, North Korea tested more nukes and the missiles necessary to deliver them, most likely as a test of the how strongly the Obama administration would respond. From Reuters:

The nuclear test was a major diplomatic challenge to Obama at a time when he is facing a global economic crisis and working to curb Iran's nuclear enrichment program, which the West fears is aimed at producing nuclear arms but Tehran says is for energy. Obama vowed when he took office to extend a hand to troublesome countries "willing to unclench your fist" but so far he has had little success with North Korea or Iran, which have continued to advance their nuclear programs and showed little interest in renewed dialogue.

And then the Iranians decided to flex their naval "muscle" in the Gulf of Aden, yet another test of Obama's resolve to stand-up to regimes that oppose the goals of the United States. From Fox News:

The deployment is "a signal of military strength, resolve and continued defiance to U.S. and U.N. Security Council efforts to end the impasse over Iran's nuclear program," said Jim Phillips, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at the Heritage Institute. "What's very important here is the timing of this move — and this naval muscle flexing comes after Iran's missile test earlier this week, which was saber rattling that was meant to send the same signal as this naval dispatch." Phillips said Ahmadinejad was using the opportunity to thumb his nose at the U.S. and U.N. to advance his own popularity in Iran ahead of the country's hotly contested June 12 election.

A coincidence that these things are happening on the watch of an American President whose international policies are soft on terror? I think not. These were calculated moves. It now remains to be seen whether or not Obama has his nation's best interests at heart, or the interests of those who want to see the U.S. weakened and even attacked again.

I'm willing to bet that Obama will put politics above the national interest.

You can access both articles on-line here:

Obama Says North Korea Nuclear Test A "Grave Concern"
David Alexander
Reuters
May 25, 2009

Iran Sends 6 Warships To International Waters In 'Saber Rattling' Move
Fox News (from Reuters)
May 25, 2009