Kim Jong Un and his present tirade is the result of two decades of weak kneed policies towards two bit dictators of an economic wasteland. When Madeline Albright was sent by then President Clinton to sweet talk Un’s father the stage was set for what is happening today. The policy of bribery and sanctions gave the North undeserved world prominence and little incentive to change. The North Korean’s soon learned what any fifth grader would have; to get what they wanted all they had to do was throw fits when things got tough and the U.S. would turn into the candy man. Unfortunately the policy begun under Clinton did not end there.

President Bush dealt with the North Koreans in much the same way Clinton did, a policy that want of a better label could be called throwing rocks and rice. For Kim Jong Il the rocks of sanctions were deflected onto the populous and meant little but the rice meant more food and money for him and his military. To assure the second kept coming the antics of the dictatorship got a little worse each time. A pattern that was repeated over and over again. If Einstein’s definition of insanity holds true than U.S. policy under both Clinton and Bush were quintessentially insane. Secretary of State after Secretary of State were sentenced to stand in front of camera’s trying to explain how repeating the same thing over and over again would somehow one day yield a different results. The fact is it never did and in 2006 North Korea conducted its first successful nuclear test.

Today the results of the continued groveling at the feet of North Korean dictators is Kim Jung un threatening the world with nuclear Armageddon if he does not get his way. This day was inevitable from the moment the U.S. started down the path of rocks and rice; given the pattern it was as predictable as the spread of an untreated cancer.

Today Korea is a government that survives on extortion and counterfeiting and is ruled by a petulant child with nuclear weapons. A testament to the effectiveness of a policy of weakness started two decades ago. Truth be told Kim Jong Un seems more intent on getting more handouts and capitulations than really starting a war. For all his threats and youtube videos his troops are not lining up for an imminent attack, yet. Even so, given the ramifications and the over the top rhetoric, ignoring North Korea’s threats is not a risk the world can take. As millions of lives hang in the balance it is only the United States that stands in the breech between possible Armageddon and the tantrums of this nuclear armed brat.

The questions no one is asking are, would Kim Jong Un have enough cojones to play this game if someone like Reagan was president? Why does the North feel such actions will work? The truth is like a well trained dog, they have been conditioned to respond like they are. Weakness and perceived weakness in U.S. foreign policy has been a prelude to the advance of tyrants since World War II. The present sabre rattling from North Korea and the arrogance of Iran are no different.

The fact is there is little between chaos and peace in the world today. Without the United States Russia would feel free to reconstitute its empire by force, China would walk over Taiwan and exert merciless domination over Asia and Iran would be preparing to march across the Middle East. Even smaller countries like Venezuela would soon be seeking empires of their own without America standing in their way. Of course the Korean peninsula would have been all under communist rule long ago.

Much of the world today remains free solely because there is a United States that has their back. Even for those who still languish in chains it is America to whom they look to for leadership and hope. Given this the present weakening of the United States both militarily and economically does not bode well for the world.  Like circling buzzards or jackals lying in wait the world’s worst are waiting for the moment when the U.S. is no longer a dominant force. When or if that day comes the world will be wishing it only had an unruly North Korea to deal with.

“The Conservative Mind”

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