hello, tim. tim wrote:
<< then why was N Korea doing exactly the same things during the Clinton Administration? >> someone pelase corect me if i've got this wrong, but my understanding has been that the agreement(s) drafted under the clinton administration were specifically about plutonuim weapons, while the existing weapons for which they are being accused of defrauding the international community, are based on enriched uranium. a semantic splitting of the atoms which violates the spirit of the agreement, granted, but not the letter. in any case, regardless of the accuracy of these details, the fact remains that from the point of view of the n korean state, there are myriad factors which justify--nay, demand--the development of a nuclear arsenal. the increasingly polarized posture of the us government being a very important one. but there is also their big nieghbor, china, whose ever more rapid metamorphosis toward western capitalism would seem to inevitably lead to an eventual estrangment between the two governments. and then there's their other neighbor, that most here in the u.s. would think to be the least threat to n korea: japan. the country which invaded and brutally occupied n korea (and out of which occupation the current regime emerged; a point whose significance cannot be exaggerated) for over thirty years. a government which, while pacifist in principle, has over the decades developed considerable military capability, and has already taken the first, if very small, step toward undoing the pacifist foundation of its constitution. a government which, in strategic circles, is regarded as a virtual nuclear power, that could assemble a nuclear delivery capability within a few short months. whether we like the n korean regime or not, it *is* a sovereign governemnt, and they have no less right to make strategic decisions based on geopolitical realities than any other government. in fact, pyongyang's actions can easily be seen as a model of restraint when compared to current washington policy of pre-emptive war. best to all, -chris _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
