I found this very strange when I first read the title of this article. Apparently, The United States, South Korea, and Japan have denied China's request for emergency talks with North Korea. According to the Obama administration, " a return to the table with North Korea...would be rewarding the North for provocative behavior over the past week..." Instead, the Obama administration wants China to signal to North Korea that these aggressive behaviors will not be tolerated. So far, China has not condoned the DPRK for its actions.
Personally I feel like no one know what they're doing. The US, South Korea, and Japan do not want to talk with North Korea, but at the same time do not want to engage in open warfare. They are running out of options. China seems to be the big decider in the issue because it appears to be neutral in this conflict. UNFORTUNATELY, China wants to STAY neutral and is not taking any steps to solve the crisis.
Do you think the US is taking the right steps to solve this crisis, or do you think we should sit down and begin peace talks with North Korea?
15 comments:
I don't agree with the Obama/U.S. position regarding denial of talks. It's not specified whether these are peace talks/negotiations, but I think the first step to untwisting the knots in this conflict is talking. It doesn't matter whether it's peace talks with specific objectives or just plain talking about what each side wants... it's best to just get the viewpoints on the table.
Peace talks should not be considered rewards because they are crucial steps in resolving any kind of conflict. They are necessities, not luxuries. Remember when we were little and we had fights with our friends? Our parents told us to talk about it first before doing anything else. Even peace talks do not go anywhere, at least both parties will know for sure that there is no stepping back before taking this conflict further. Even though the situation is not black and white, getting the ideas out there is important.
I definitely think that the United States should begin peace talks with North Korea as the first step. If that doesn't work, then perhaps more extreme (and I don't necessarily mean violent or war-related) actions should be taken. Negotiation will always be the safest route, though unfortunately it is not the road that many countries willingly decide to take. However, it will obviously be difficult to engage in a peace talk with North Korea since one of the sides seems to not want to talk. I think that the United States, South Korea, and Japan should buck up and begin a process of getting things back in order so that there can finally be peace (or at least something close to peace) between North and South Korea.
I agree with Aaron in that "no one know what they're doing". The last major time we used force was back in the days of the Korean war, though I really hope it does not escalate to such a point. These talks I feel are more or less designed by China and North Korea as a back deal.
We must still remember China and Taiwan's differences. One considers the other an illegitimate government, while the other declares itself as a sovereign nation. If China really wants to prove that it is so "peaceful", then they should show us what "peace" really is. They have more missiles aimed at Taiwan then North Korea does at its Southern neighbors. Taiwan's President has yet been allowed to talk to HuJingTao in a formal setting. The issue of Taiwan's independence is so similar to what is currently happening on this Peninsula with the claims of one China just as one Korea.
Going back to the post, I feel the United States should continue what they are doing and let the dust briefly settle before possibly coming back to the table. After all, the six-party talks ended in virtual stalemate. I think it is time for countries to be willing to accept each other for who they are. Sometimes, the United States wants to make all the countries act the way it wants such as holding a double standard on the issue of nuclear weapons. I think that coming to the bargaining table will make us look slightly foolish and less of a powerful country to face. All countries need to cool down before bargaining and this brief period will help to ease the tension.
I disagree with LuShuang, I think that it is okay for now that the US, South Korea and Japan are not meeting for peace talks. I think that peace talks is the way to come up with a solution to the problems in East Asia. But, we are definitely not ready for peace talks. North Korea, the instigator of the recent events, is not wanting the peace talks. North Korea wants the attention and recognition from the rest of the world. China who is backing North Korea wants peace talks with the US, South Korea and Japan because they know it is in their best interest to mend those relations. I don't think peace talks now will be a good choice because North Korea is not and will not be willing to give into pressures from other countries. This is evident from the last couple of years. I think for now, it is okay for the US, South Korea and Japan to refuse peace talks with North Korea.
Not to be condescending, but these sound to me like starry eyed opinions. By sitting down with North Korea, we clarify the situation. This might not be the best course of action. As it stands, the US, Japan and South Korea hold enough power to bully North Korea with their presence alone. If we give them leverage, we will end up losing in the long run as North Korea is not effected by public opinion, while the US, Japan and South Korea will pay dearly if they do not handle the situation within the boundaries of human rights. I do not put war crimes above North Korea, their 26 year old 4 Star General, their fearless leader or their brainwashed soldiers.
I agree with LuShuang that the U.S. needs to discuss this issue with North Korea. It may appear like North Korea is being rewarded or that North Korea will get some sort of compromise out of the meeting, but it doesn't have to. Like LuShuang said, "It's best to just get the viewpoints on the table." If nothing but a better understanding comes out of the talk, it's still better than being stubborn and not talking at all. Hopefully, with a better understanding on both sides, the U.S. can make a decision about what to do next.
I also don't blame China for staying neutral because China is in a tough political position, and any wrong step from any country can be detrimental. Sadly, this issue reminds me of a bunch of angry kids on a playground, but now they have bigger weapons and much higher stakes.
I also feel the need to bring up the point that the nations of the world have sat down with North Korea multiple times before to pay them off with food aid or urge them not to violate treaties that they had signed previously, most all of these to no avail. History tends to repeat itself.
I'm not sure if the United States should agree to the peace talks or not. North Korea, most likely, will not agree to what others offer. I think North Korea just wants more money because I read somewhere once that North Korea asked the US for I believe 75 trillion dollars! It is also seeking attention from the whole world by making unintelligent decisions that create more conflict. But I guess a meeting can occur to just first talk out everything and understand what's going on before more hostile events happen and cause harm to more innocent individuals.
While I do not find it feasible to begin peace talks with North Korea, I do find it feasible to remain neutral on the subject and encourage South Korea to back off of a fight. The North Korean government is insane. Actually. It's like a rabid dog that will bite your head off for no reason. I think if we get too muddled in this, we could face a potential catastrophic situation involving possibly nuclear arms. Because they're crazy enough to use them. This is one particularly volatile situation that I would like to stay away from. I am with Bobby, in that I feel as though a few of these comments have been on the idealistic side. Being realistic, we just need to do what America has never seemed to be able to do: mind its own business.
Unfortunately, I am not convinced that people should "mind their own business." North Korea is like a powder keg: it might go off at any minute, especially during this time of political unrest. In this case, to avoid larger conflicts, it would be best to initiate talks to calm down the situation. Although I agree with many of you that North Korea does not deserve anything from its brinkmanship policy, it would be better for all people around the area as a whole to stop a possible war, especially given the possibility of nuclear weapons.
@Bobby John: And what will stopping talks do for us? It will not help anyone out of the conflict. In the end, noone wins, and everyone stands to lose.
I'd much rather have the talk than the nuclear weapons, even if all we get is a stalemate. Minding our own business is not an option when a crazy leader is swinging around nuclear weapons like toy swords.
I would have to say that the US' decision to engage in talks with North Korea was not very wise. If nothing else, it would be a good way to possibly avoid conflict, or at the very least for the DPRK to "explain." If neither of those things could happen, and North Korea refused to take any action, it still gives the US and its allies a moral high ground, a very valuable thing to have at any diplomatic stage. It also ensures that the US and Chinese governments are cooperating, a crucial component to avoid potential escalation of this conflict beyond Korea, which is potentially a far bigger issue. Nobody really loses, other than the DPRK.
@Bobby:
I don't think that engaging peace talks would cause the parties involved to lose leverage. The US can "bully" North Korea, if necessary, with its gigantic army alone at any time, regardless of the status of negotiations. The military of the DPRK is in utter disrepair, as they still have tanks that are at least thirty years old and Soviet-era planes (twenty years old at absolute best.) The US and other coutnries are in a position to intimidate regardless of the status of negotiations. If negotiations succeed, we've avoided conflict. If they fail, we retain the force to push them around anyway and still gain the moral high ground. Yes, North Korea is not a very rational state, but the worst that can happen with the peace talks is that they fail. Yes, the North Korean army very well may commit war crimes. However, you say that "the US, Japan and South Korea will pay dearly if they do not handle the situation within the boundaries of human rights." Aren't negotiations within standards of human rights? I don't really see how that shows that we shouldn't negotiate.
In short, negotiations are the right path to take because the worst they can do is fail, and that way we still have a moral high ground.
We've had so many failed negotiations and peace talks with North Korea; so what's the point of trying? Every time the U.S tries to reach a hand out to North Korea they end up biting that hand. Something else interesting to think about is that in some of the files that Wiki-Leaks released a few days ago; is that China is getting fed up with North Korea acting like a spoiled brat. Maybe China will take moves to push North Korea into following our wishes; as China has more economical interests in the U.S, South Korea and Japan.
I think that we should try to sit down and have peace talk with North Korea, but when ever we try to have peace talks with them, but they seem to fail. I also feel that china is not doing its part in this, China could solve this crisis but chooses not to, but i understand why china wouldnt want to intervene, since north korea is an ally of china. Im not gonna lie this situation seems to be running out of options for peace talks.
Although I do believe in peace and everything, I think it is right that the USA, South Korean, and Japan, DO NOT begin peace talks with North Korean. Yesterday I was reading a article involving the WikiLeaks situation, and it stated that North Korea had staged fake missle sites just to try to get attention and talks with outside countries. I think we are overestimating the the power of North Korea. They don't really have any trustworthy allies. Their country is poor, suffering, and needs aid (due to the international sanctions against it). This is just another case of a problem child acting out for attention.
Jason makes a good point. The US has history to back up the accusations that we have the tendency to but into other countries business. We almost get too involved. And like Jason said, North Korea is not a country to mess with. Our involvement in the matter can go both ways of turning "good" or really ugly. So why take the chance of creating more problems? The consequences of the US. Japan and South Korea failing to create "peace" with North Korea can turn into a mess that can be exaggerated to the point of war. I feel that it's just not worth it.
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