March 15, 2013
By Anne Gearan
The Pentagon (click here) announced Friday that it would strengthen the country’s defenses against a possible attack by nuclear-equipped North Korea, fielding additional missile systems to protect the West Coast at a time of growing concern about the Stalinist regime.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he would add 14 missile interceptors in Alaska, a roughly 50 percent increase over the current number there and in California. The estimated $1 billion expansion represents a policy shift for the Obama administration, which had shelved earlier plans to expand the mainland defense system.
The Pentagon cast the expansion as a response to rising threats from Iran and North Korea, but the volatility and increasing hostility of the North Korean regime was clearly the main driver....
North Korea is in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, an international treaty that allows the global community to build sanctions against it. The fact of the matter is when "W" made his Axis of Evil speech the response among countries that are not allied with the USA escalated their arms programs. The Axis of Evil speech was a declaration of war with full implications of same. It has taken until now for Iran to find a path into safety and North Korea rejects any idea of safety of it's people.
The new young leader of North Korea has no interest in a peace platform with the global community. He sincerely needs to appreciate the condition of his people and the benefits they can receive from taking the path Iran is now taking.
He is a bit of a celebrity on a global basis. He should build on that.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un (click here) came to power after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011. We take a look back at some of the most bizarre photo opportunities that he has taken part in during his time in charge of the highly secretive state.
Above: North Korean leader Kim Jung-un guides the test firing of a rocket in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang. North Korea is "likely" to have conducted a nuclear test on January 6, 2016 that caused an earthquake near a known testing site in the isolated country, the South Korean and Japanese governments said.
It is amazing the level of denial probably within the US public of the threat "W" caused in his hate speech. Both North Korea or Iran never got the message the hate speech was simply to add to the culture of fear of the "W" administration.
North Korea's nuclear weapons program (click here) has moved back to the front pages with the unprecedented acknowledgement by North Korea during talks this week in Beijing that the North has developed nuclear weapons. News of this revelation came as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs James A. Kelly was preparing to leave Beijing for consultations in Seoul, and leaves the future of the talks uncertain and the threat of a potential escalation in tensions on the peninsula high. This is but the latest step in a simmering crisis that began with the admission by North Korea, after being confronted with hard evidence by Assistant Secretary Kelly in October 2002, that it has been pursuing in secret a nuclear weapons program in violation of the Agreed Framework of 1994 and its adherence to the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). Pyongyang's subsequent actions in asserting the right to possess nuclear weapons, breaking the seals on its nuclear reactor put there by the International Atomic Energy Agency, withdrawing from the NPT and the expulsion of IAEA inspectors from the Yongbyon nuclear facilities, have kept the crisis simmering, and laid the basis for reported splits within the Bush administration over the best strategy for dealing with Pyongyang. Seemingly replaying debates marking the lead-up to the war with Iraq, newspaper analyses portray the State Department under Secretary of State Colin Powell pressing for diplomacy and efforts to reassure the North Koreans that the U.S. was not seeking regime change, while Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has reportedly called for joining with Beijing to push for removal of the North Korean regime....
Even among the international platform the "W" administration used plausible denial to appear to be a peaceful administration.
When a US President makes statements about such issues as the world faces with North Korea, especially that of South Korea, there is significant brevity to those statements. The response to the "EVIL" speech was completely obvious. Both North Korea and Iran rightfully interpreted "W"s threat as real and took actions to defend itself.
The so called problem with North Korea the USA and allies and partners have today can directly be found in "W" administration and it's war mongering. There is a direct relationship. That is all anyone needs to understand. The American people are too used to political speech that is highly inflammatory to the world outside the USA. The escalation of hate speech within the political sphere of the USA should be a concern to all citizens, unfortunately, that is not the path of the electorate. Any candidate for President that even hints at peace is considered unworthy.
During the "W" administration hate, war and death were incorporated with religion to appear to be denying the entire idea of war mongering. The USA sincerely needed the visit by Pope Francis to recall the pure state of peace the Roman Catholic faith demands.
By Anne Gearan
The Pentagon (click here) announced Friday that it would strengthen the country’s defenses against a possible attack by nuclear-equipped North Korea, fielding additional missile systems to protect the West Coast at a time of growing concern about the Stalinist regime.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he would add 14 missile interceptors in Alaska, a roughly 50 percent increase over the current number there and in California. The estimated $1 billion expansion represents a policy shift for the Obama administration, which had shelved earlier plans to expand the mainland defense system.
The Pentagon cast the expansion as a response to rising threats from Iran and North Korea, but the volatility and increasing hostility of the North Korean regime was clearly the main driver....
North Korea is in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, an international treaty that allows the global community to build sanctions against it. The fact of the matter is when "W" made his Axis of Evil speech the response among countries that are not allied with the USA escalated their arms programs. The Axis of Evil speech was a declaration of war with full implications of same. It has taken until now for Iran to find a path into safety and North Korea rejects any idea of safety of it's people.
He is a bit of a celebrity on a global basis. He should build on that.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un (click here) came to power after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011. We take a look back at some of the most bizarre photo opportunities that he has taken part in during his time in charge of the highly secretive state.
Above: North Korean leader Kim Jung-un guides the test firing of a rocket in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang. North Korea is "likely" to have conducted a nuclear test on January 6, 2016 that caused an earthquake near a known testing site in the isolated country, the South Korean and Japanese governments said.
It is amazing the level of denial probably within the US public of the threat "W" caused in his hate speech. Both North Korea or Iran never got the message the hate speech was simply to add to the culture of fear of the "W" administration.
North Korea's nuclear weapons program (click here) has moved back to the front pages with the unprecedented acknowledgement by North Korea during talks this week in Beijing that the North has developed nuclear weapons. News of this revelation came as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs James A. Kelly was preparing to leave Beijing for consultations in Seoul, and leaves the future of the talks uncertain and the threat of a potential escalation in tensions on the peninsula high. This is but the latest step in a simmering crisis that began with the admission by North Korea, after being confronted with hard evidence by Assistant Secretary Kelly in October 2002, that it has been pursuing in secret a nuclear weapons program in violation of the Agreed Framework of 1994 and its adherence to the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). Pyongyang's subsequent actions in asserting the right to possess nuclear weapons, breaking the seals on its nuclear reactor put there by the International Atomic Energy Agency, withdrawing from the NPT and the expulsion of IAEA inspectors from the Yongbyon nuclear facilities, have kept the crisis simmering, and laid the basis for reported splits within the Bush administration over the best strategy for dealing with Pyongyang. Seemingly replaying debates marking the lead-up to the war with Iraq, newspaper analyses portray the State Department under Secretary of State Colin Powell pressing for diplomacy and efforts to reassure the North Koreans that the U.S. was not seeking regime change, while Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has reportedly called for joining with Beijing to push for removal of the North Korean regime....
Even among the international platform the "W" administration used plausible denial to appear to be a peaceful administration.
When a US President makes statements about such issues as the world faces with North Korea, especially that of South Korea, there is significant brevity to those statements. The response to the "EVIL" speech was completely obvious. Both North Korea and Iran rightfully interpreted "W"s threat as real and took actions to defend itself.
The so called problem with North Korea the USA and allies and partners have today can directly be found in "W" administration and it's war mongering. There is a direct relationship. That is all anyone needs to understand. The American people are too used to political speech that is highly inflammatory to the world outside the USA. The escalation of hate speech within the political sphere of the USA should be a concern to all citizens, unfortunately, that is not the path of the electorate. Any candidate for President that even hints at peace is considered unworthy.
During the "W" administration hate, war and death were incorporated with religion to appear to be denying the entire idea of war mongering. The USA sincerely needed the visit by Pope Francis to recall the pure state of peace the Roman Catholic faith demands.
