Current Event: #2
Topic: Leaders
Title: Smoke with fire
Publication: Economist
Date of Publication: Nov. 23rd, 2010
Length: 300+ words
http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2010/11/north_korea_shells_south
North Korea shelled the small island of Yeonpyeong leaving two South Korea Marines dead and an unconfirmed amount of civilian casualties. This marks the second time North Korea has attacked South Korea this year but this is the first time that there were civilian casualties. Both the attacks occurred along or close to the Northern Limit Line (NLL). After the first event the US and S. Korea were scheduled to have war games but the Chinese (a N. Korean ally) persuaded the US to postpone the games because they did not feel comfortable with an American aircraft carrier and battle group in their waters. After the shelling the USS George Washington and battle group came into the Korean/Chinese waters to let the Koreans know that the US is there to help. S. Korea and the US are scheduled to have the war games later this month. Although China is concerned with the USS George Washington being so close to Chinese waters they are not putting up as much of a fight this time. There is a huge amount of tension on the Korean peninsula and it is a concern of the US. If S. Korea were to go to war with the North the US, being an ally of the South, would have to jump in and help S. Korea. China being an ally of the North would possibly help the North fight the South and the US. The leaders of S. Korea, the US, and China are trying to figure out a way to work this out peacefully. China's relationship with North Korea is starting to decay making this situation more dangerous and war all the more likely.
Opinion
I believe that war with N. Korea is a possibility but very unlikely. North Korea cannot finance. They don't have the natural resources and ability to produce the amount of ammunition and weapons to fight a war against the US and S. Korea. Also N. Korea does not have enough money to buy the weapons from Russia or China. Their ally China is capable of doing this and helping N. Korea fight the war but N. Korea and China are not as close as they were before.
I think that the high tension between North Korea and South Korea will eventually lead to either an act of diplomacy or one of war. War definitely seems like it is going to happen, especially if the North attacks again.
ReplyDeleteSince the armistice between North and South Korea in 1953, an official peace treaty was never signed between these two nations. It almost seems as if N Korea wants to enrage or terrorize the people around the world by experimenting new nuclear weapons. It is good that US, S Korea and Japan are trying to calm down the situation. But there is a possibility that the war comes not only from North Korea, but enraged South Korea.
ReplyDeleteI think that there would be no war because the U.S is there to bring peace and order so there would be no fighting and N. Korea doesnt have the resource to start a war.
ReplyDeleteI think that even though war is quite unlikely North Korea does have the resources to start a war. As they have shown in the past their only priority is military strength so they would let the country starve while they spent all their money to fund a war and not care about anything else
ReplyDeleteNothing is going to happen countries with tensions often times cant afford the war itself and the consequencing casualties. South korea and north korea like israel and jordan will con
ReplyDelete