Reuters has just reported that North Korea has admitted to having at least one nuclear weapon (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=2&u=/nm/20030424/ts_nm/korea_north_dc). We now get to see the pay-off of the pre-emptive war strategy, everywhere lauded in this country. But the praise sung today may very soon become a dirge. N. Korea vastly accelerated its nuclear program when it became clear that the US was going to attack Iraq, stop number one on the so-called axis of evil. Why? Because it was clear that the US was going to attack irregardless of whether or not the Iraqis co-operated with weapons inspectors and disarmed. Hence the North Koreans developed a deterrent as the only possible means of preventing a pre-emptive attack -- thereby contributing to what for sixty years has been considered the nightmare scenario, namely, nuclear proliferation.

What can we do now? Not much. There's no way North Korea will disarm under the auspices of the UN since the last country to disarm in such a fashion was then attacked by the US. Moreover, to disarm under the auspices of the UN not only does not mean that one won't be attacked; since the US used the UN inspections as a cover to collect information for its attack, it also means that one will be even more militarily compromised than by disarmament alone. The North Koreans would be nuts to agree to anything like what the Iraqis agreed to.

So where does that leave us? By completely discrediting the UN, there is today no organization in the world that can at once disarm a country and also guarantee its security. Without the latter guarantee, no disarmament is possible. Hence the one thing we know today is that if the North Koreans do have the bomb, they are not going to give it up. Which means either the US can capitulate and give in to the North Korean demands -- something that would be quite alien to the bellicosity of this administration -- or there will be a very serious war on the Korean penninsula in the near future.

Just like defeating the Soviet Union without WWIII was impossible. . . just like taking out the Taliban was impossible (English couldn't do it , Soviets couldn't). . . thousands would starve in refugee camps. . .

Just like Baghdad would involve bloody house to house fighting. . . there would be terror attacks throughout the US. . . 500,000 Iraqi civilians would die. . . humanitarian nightmare. . .

Nothing makes he happier than to hear a leftist say something bad is going to happen!

"just like taking out the Taliban was impossible (English couldn't do it , Soviets couldn't). . ."

The last time I checked, the Taliban weren't in power when the British and Soviet armies invaded. You may take your foot out of your mouth now.

You SCHOOOLED him!!!!!!

Yeah!!!!!

That UTTERLY REFUTES everything the guy said.

Yeah!!!!

Ice Ice Baby!

Do you always refer to yourself in the third person? What's the matter, are you pissed because somebody called you out? I suggest that you read a history book.

Normally I do not reply to such learned commentaries as that posted by Mr. Gigglefart. However, in light of his comments about the Taliban, I would point out that the "victory" in Afghanistan would seem to be less than complete. Hence Reuters reported three days ago (4/22) that "Warlords terrorise the population with a "climate of fear" and religious fundamentalism is rising in Afghanistan 18 months after U.S. forces toppled the ruling Taliban regime;" " the warlords had in some places maintained law and order "by creating a climate of fear, not unlike under the Taliban..." Moreover, on the 12th of this month, Reuters again reported that Karzai's "power barely stretches outside Kabul despite nearly a year and a half in office," and that remnants of the Taliban continue to control vast parts of Afghanistan.

Some victory. One wonders what a defeat would look like.

The Taliban was outted because they harbored UBL and allowed terrorist training to take place in the country. Why the people in Afghanistan continue to allow these warlords to roam around and create a "climate of fear" is beyond me. They need to band together and fight back against these warlords and Taliban remnants.