North Korea - Thuggery in the Global Community

It's oddly coincidental that at about the same time Americans were shooting rockets into the sky to celebrate independence, Kim Jong-il and his rogue communist regime decided to shoot rockets into the sky over the Sea of Japan.

It's almost poetic. One nation shoots rockets to celebrate freedom, democracy, and independence while another nation shoots rockets in an act of belligerence and aggression toward the nation of freedom, democracy, and independence. Based on that alone, it's easy to see who the good guys are in this international chess match.

As it appears, the North Koreans staged a mock attack of a foe, presumably the United States, which fizzled. By last count, seven missiles have been fired and none went more than a few hundred miles. More test-firings have been promised. However, even its largest missile, the multistage Taepodong-2 ballistic missile, which is believed to be capable of hitting Alaska or possibly the U.S. west coast, blew up before its second stage could ignite.

Consequently, as a direct, immediate threat to the United States, North Korea isn't. That may be Kim Jong-il's biggest personal failure. The U.S. just doesn't pay enough attention to him. Kim Jong-il wants to be a major player in world affairs but he's largely ignored. So he rattles his saber, acting more like a kid throwing a tantrum than a powerful warrior.

To digress momentarily, I'm reminded of the 1959 Peter Sellers' movie, The Mouse That Roared. The plot has the Duchy of Grand Fenwick deciding that the only way to survive is to declare war on the United States, lose and get foreign aid. Consequently, an invasion force of Grand Fenwick longbowmen is sent to New York, prepared to immediately surrender. Obviously it's outrageous fiction and great comedy, but the parallels between Kim Jong-il and the Prime Minister of Grand Fenwick are noteworthy.

However, it's not fiction that North Korea has a highly-developed ballistic missile program, primarily short-range, and is reportedly close to having nuclear warheads for the missiles. Add to that the fact that North Korea has developed strong relationships with enemies of the U.S. (read Iran), and the result is cause of great concern. A nuclear-tipped missile in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists is unacceptable.

But, even with the saber-rattling and the potential threats, Kim Jong-il does not come off as a powerful warrior or great statesman. Granted, he's bothersome, but still a little communist thug and a regularly recrudescing boil on the ass of human civilization.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.