It could be said that the left is inspired by Gandhi and the right Churchill. While Churchill may not be remembered to fondly in this country for his creation of the Black and tans. But else where in the world he is remember for standing up to the evil that was Hitler. The left will look at how Gandhi brought about the fall of the british empire in
India. Neither story is quiet correct. Stalin has a lot to do with the fall of Hitler and the British Empire was weak when
India left. Non the less there is much validity to both claims about how to effect change in the world. Basically I suppose the difference could be seen as Foreign Intervention vs Domestic Intervention. I.e war vs peace. The neo-con view is very much in the war bracket that you have to bomb your way to peace. Peace through superior fire power. While the left believes you can walk to change the world and that war is never justified and never will bring change to a country. But looking at the documentary "the children of North Korea" I think it is clear that when a regime has got hold of the people like that only foreign power has the ability to make change.
The power in protest lies in the morality of the people in power. i.e. That if 1000s march the government will not fire repeatedly on the people and will listen. Also that the government is open to foreign criticism that if they do fire that the international condemnation will be deafening and the government will be forced to act. The reason why the orange revolution worked in Ukraine was because the government were not tyrants they were not willing to crush the protestors.
In recent years 3 million have died of hunger in North Korea. Yet the government has not asked for help. A government that is willing to turn a blind eye to the deaths of millions would think little about ordering the deaths of protestors. North Korea is not willing to listen to the international community and it is so secretive that it could massacre millions and no one would know.
So the only option left is the military option is the Neo-Con option regime change by force. So who is going to do it. Previously one of the big obstacles to doing this was China. China being a one time ally of North Korea meant that invading North Korea might mean war with China. However China’s attitude is changing. In the last few days they have frozen North Korean assets and signed the UN resolution condemning the recent missile tests. It is generally felt that China is the country best placed to influence Pyongyang (although Chavez is getting pally). This maybe be the start of the world beginning to realise that something has to be done to solve the problem that is North Korea and that can start with removing the source of the problem the Dear Leader Kim Jong-il. But the country that is needed to act to save the children is the United States, which is bogged down in Iraq and been constantly ridiculed by people who want human rights but are not willing to extend them to places that will require violence to implement the necessary change.
But taking down North Korea’s regime will not be easy as U.S. Army General Burwell Bell told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 7
North Korea has the world's fourth-largest armed force with more than 1.2 million active-duty personnel and more than 5 million in reserves, Bell said. More than 70 percent of its active duty combat forces are deployed within 50 miles of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that divides North Korea from South Korea, he said.
The North's 100,000-man special operations forces are the world's largest and are well funded, Bell said. "Tough, well trained, and profoundly loyal, these forces are engaged in strategic reconnaissance and illicit activities in support of the regime," the general said.
What North Korea's military lacks in quality, it makes up for in quantity: with more than 1,600 aircraft, 700 ships and the world's largest submarine fleet, Pyongyang is capable of launching operations against the Republic of Korea and other nations in the region with little or no warning, Bell said.
But remember that Iraq had the 4th largest army in the World at the time of the Gulf War and it was defeated in 100 hours. But what one must remember is that North Korea is not the tank loving flat land of Iraq and the also there is not the religious fundamentalism in present day Iraq.
So basically the choice for saving the lives of the children in the documentary is pound the tools of repression that Kim Jong-il uses with Migs and F-16s or we can light some candles on Graffton Street and sing Give peace a chance. What do you think will work best? Maybe we need to start singing “Give war a chance”
