North Korea: Threat or Joke?

Today, Prime Minister Steven Harper condemed the launch of its first long range, nuclear capable missile. It has left many questions. Is North Korea really a threat. Are we doomed for another cold war, or perhaps World War Three? We must get inside the mind of the infamous short statured dictator, Kim Jong Il. He clearly suffers from mental issues much like his historical counterpart Joseph Stalin. He is a man who knows little of the West but hate. He suffers from paranoia.

Ever since the cold war ended and the Soviet Union collapsed, other communist nations have gone through a rapid process of modernization and reconcilation. Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, and China have opened their doors to the rest of the world and openly engage in the global community. North Korea is different. The country has changed little since the Korean War petered out in the late 1950s. It is isolated, a strange place. It is sort of a twisted version of the USSR with elements of George Orwell's fictional nation of Oceania from 1984 mixed in for flavour. Film footage shows military weapons being paraded and soldiers marching with almost robotic percision. To them, the Cold War never ended. The nation moves further and further behind as its fellow communists push forward. It's no wonder they often ignor Little Kim.

Is North Korea a threat though. The short answer is no. It's certainly not in the nation's best interest. China sits to the west. It has too much to loose by supporting them. The United States has other things to worry about. Other nations are simply over reacting. North Korea is certainly trying to reconcile with the south and launching nuclear attacks would not be smart. Little Kim is simply showing bravado. They simply are doing these missile launches to get a reaction. The best way to combat it is to ignor them. It's a Chinese issue anyway. Historically, the Korean peninsula has been treated by China as a little brother. It is really none of the west's business and to do anything would be a waste of time on our part. China takes great offense to interferance in the Koreas so it's simply best to let them deal with any problems that crop up.