Airborne Combat Engineer

Tentative nuke deal with the NorKs

Negotiators early today announced a tentative agreement on steps to begin dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for a package of energy assistance and other incentives.

The deal, concluded after five days of talks culminating in a 16-hour session that ended in the small hours today, remains subject to approval from the capitals of the six participating nations. Most details were not made public, and officials said they would resume negotiations later today.

[Washington Times]

NorKs helping Iran develop nuke test

North Korea is helping Iran to prepare an underground nuclear test similar to the one Pyongyang carried out last year.

Under the terms of a new understanding between the two countries, the North Koreans have agreed to share all the data and information they received from their successful test last October with Teheran's nuclear scientists.

[CC, Telegraph, 24JAN07]

If this is true, it would seem we'll have to do something.

Will new UN resolution on NK work?

OK, the resolution has passed. Will it make any difference?

[Boston Globe, 10/15/2006]

John Kerry, appearing on Fox News this AM, is now advocating unilateral US talks with the NorK. Chris Wallace challenged him on that, noting he criticized Bush for going it alone in Iraqi.  He responded with weasel words.

Will NorK economic collapse solve problems?

[LINK] Strategy Page

The South Koreans believe that if they just keep the North Korean leaders from doing anything too destructive (especially to South Korea), eventually the tragicomic house of cards up north will just collapse. Not much of a plan, but so far, no one's come up with anything better.

For example, food and fuel supplies sent to North Korea have been halted, not to force North Korea to stop missile tests or participate in peace talks, but to return the Chinese trains the aid was carried in on.

Maybe another reason China agreed to the UN resolution (with no mention of Chapter 7).

Another UN resolution, at which NK thumbs its nose

[LINK] Washington Post

The U.N. Security Council has reached a tentative deal to adopt a resolution demanding North Korea suspend its ballistic missile program, after agreeing on a compromise to avoid a Chinese veto, several council diplomats said.

North Korea rejected it within 45 minutes. (John Bolton called it a "world record").

At least the vote registered where the voters stand, for whatever that's worth.

The resolution does have binding requirements on other UN members to not provide materials or technology for NK's forbidden programs. Some nations might abide by that.

Appeasement

[LINK] Rich Galen, Townhall

"If we've learned anything over the past century it is this: You cannot make a deal with a madman."

"Listen carefully to the Members of Congress and Senators running in your area. History has proven that politicians who clamor for appeasement are, sooner or later, proven wrong. And the cost of their mistakes is, always much, much higher than the price they were trying to avoid in the first place."

Are you a loser dictator? (Fiore animation)

More on NorK missile tests

[LINK] Defense Tech

Interesting

China and Russia protect NK from sanctions

[LINK] MosNews

China and Russia resisted an attempt in the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions against North Korea for its missile launches Wednesday, saying only diplomacy could halt the isolated regime’s nuclear and rocket development programs, The Associated Press reports from New York where the UN Security Council members held an emergency session at Japan’s request, after North Korea had held missile tests.

Japan, backed by the U.S. and Britain, circulated a resolution that would ban any country from transferring funds, material and technology that could be used in North Korea’s missile and weapons of mass destruction programs.

China, the North’s closest ally, and Russia, which has been trying to re-establish Soviet-era ties with Pyongyang, countered that they favor a weaker council statement without any threat of sanctions. Both countries hold veto power in the council, making sanctions unlikely.

Blogs of War links to an animation which might illustrate the motivation

Long-range NK missile has short flight

[LINK] Fox News

North Korea test-launched six missiles including a long-range Taepodong in an early morning barrage Wednesday that came in defiance of international warnings of retaliation. A North Korean official insisted that the country has the right to such a launch, raising concern it is preparing more missile tests.

According to one report, it failed after only 35 seconds and before it entered the second of two-stages

According to Fox News, the US would have tried to shoot down the Taepodong-2 had it headed toward the US.

The UN Security Council will meet in emergency session beginning 10AM EST. Japan is expected to submit a protest resolution.

NK may have earned itself some heavy sanctions.