Lets go outside the U.S. for our information about what it all means. Lets start with a paper from the neighbor-hood, the Japan Times. It is noteworthy that China, Pyongyang's traditional ally, largest trading partner and aid supplier, is now taking a tough stance toward its reclusive neighbor. At a joint news conference with Ms. Rice, Mr. Li said China will fulfill its obligation under the resolution. He said, "As a member of the United Nations and a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, China will, as always, continue to implement our relevant international obligations."
China is employing more than lip-service to put the squeeze on KJ-I. The central government has ordered a cesation of all bank transactions between North Korea and China. Air service has been suspended.
This is significant because the Chinese are keenly interested in preserving the North Korean system for a while longer. If Pyongyang collapses, there will be a flood of refuges across the border into China. China is an emerging economy with their own adjustment issues. The last thing they need to deal with as they struggle to preserve the communist revolution in an era of emerging capitalism, is a couple million refugees who have been steeped in 50 years of juche on their border. You only thought Marxism was extreme. Korean juche makes Marxism look like Montessori. When this regime finally collapses, the world is going to have to deal with an entire nation with psychopathologies normally associated with the trauma of captivity.
Look at the shot of the far east at night at the top of this post. That big black spot, with no lights shining? That is North Korea. Oh yeah. There are going to be adjustment issues.
And Japan itself is getting downright hard-line about the whole thing too. The government is looking at introducing another resolution to the U.N. Security Council that features a complete ban on imports of North Korean products if Pyongyang detonates another nuclear device or launches missiles, government sources said Saturday...Japan would seek a resolution that would not limit the range of sanctions based on the U.N. Charter's Chapter 7 that stipulates "action with respect to threats to peace, breaches of the peace and acts of aggression," the sources said...Depending on the actions North Korea may take, the new resolution would leave room for invoking Article 42 of the chapter that paves the way for the authorization of military action by the Security Council, according to the sources.
I don't know how the Sunday talking heads are going to spin this, but things on the Frozen Chosin are not looking hopeful right now. U.S. Nukes are returning to South Korea. At the 28th Military Committee Meeting (MCM) between the allies, Gen. Lee Sang-hee, the chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff met his U.S. counterpart Gen. Peter Pace in Washington on Wednesday. The two mandated U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Burwell Bell to draw up plans for the U.S. provision of a nuclear umbrella for South Korea in the wake of the North¡¯s nuclear test, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said..."We asked for a detailed guarantee of a nuclear umbrella to guard against North Korea's nuclear weapons, and the U.S. agreed,¡± said Rear Adm. Ahn Ki-seok, chief of the JCS' strategic planning department. ¡°Strategic guidelines were given to the USFK commander immediately to come up with plans to provide a nuclear umbrella for us."
So to recap - Japan is angling for force authorization should NorK blow another nuke, China has shut off the money supply and grounded the airplanes and the South Koreans are inviting American nukes back in that they once fought bitterly to get rid of. And the United States is bogged down in Iraq so we aren't going to be much help in the stick-wielding arena.
Did I miss anything?
