| Back to... |
Share Our Stories! - Click Here |
 |
Heading for War on the Korean Peninsula? |
| By
Stephen Lendman |
| China, Russia, South Korea and Japan strongly want it avoided for obvious
reasons. Trump’s rage for war risks what no responsible leader would tolerate. Attacking North Korea would be madness, endangering the entire region, especially if nuclear weapons are used. On May 2, China’s People’s Daily headlined “Responsible actions needed to ensure peace (on the) Korean Peninsula,” saying: “Given…escalat(ed) tensions…all concerned parties should…return to peaceful negotiations.” Beijing wants everything possible done to avoid potentially catastrophic war, at the same time saying the DPRK is “reasonable” in wanting its national security protected. “(B)ut its nuclear and missile ambitions have put itself and the whole region in dire peril,” an intolerable situation vital to change. US and South Korean “high-handed pressure” is no way to resolve things. “It is almost impossible to ease the crisis on the peninsula if (Seoul and Washington) continue their fantasy to settle the problem…militar(ily)…turn(ing) a blind eye to” legitimate Pyongyang concerns. China can’t ease tensions alone. It needs lots of help from US-led nations hostile to the DPRK. Resolving things requires respecting the interests and concerns of all parties. Separately, US Joint Special Operations Command head General Raymond Thomas III said special forces are readying for conflict on the Korean peninsula. “We are actively pursuing a training path to ensure readiness for the entire range of contingency operations in which (special forces), to include our exquisite capabilities (to counter WMDs), may play a critical role,” he said. “We are looking comprehensively at our force structure and capabilities on the peninsula and across the region to maximize our support to US (Pacific Command) and (US Forces Korea). This is my war fighting priority for planning and support.” If Washington intends war on North Korea, special forces would be charged with locating, sabotaging, or destroying strategic DPRK capabilities. Pyongyang’s nuclear facilities are believed to be located in well-fortified underground locations, no easy task successfully neutralizing them by ground forces. According to Joint Chiefs spokesman Navy Capt. Greg Hicks, “classified (military strategy) make(s) it more difficult for adversaries to develop counter-strategies…” “Although previously viewed as a regional threat, North Korea’s relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, facilitated by a trans-regional network of commercial, military, and political connections, make it a threat with global implications.” Days earlier, Pacific Command head Admiral Harry Harris said “(w)ith every test, Kim Jong Un moves closer to his stated goal of a preemptive nuclear strike capability against American cities, and he's not afraid to fail in public.” Pyongyang poses no threat to any nation unless it’s attacked - what Washington and media scoundrels never explain. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |