Hardcore,
Well, might that not be the best solution, for all concerned?
I read recently that the USA has 370,000 military stationed in 120 countries right now. The Defense budget is around $750,000,000,000+.
After 50 years and billions of dollars from our treasury, isn't it about time that North and South Korea get their game together on their own? The USA could still support the southern people if needed in some way. The North would offer the South it's excessive military capacity, and it's nuclear capability would at least then be under legitimate scrutiny (like it is in Israel, Russia, India, Britain etc). The families so long separated could rejoin, and relieve all that emotional tension that has been built up. The South would offer their strong economic ways to the North, and maybe resolve the hunger up there. The civil war would be over at last, and governance of the two factions could be negotiated so as to use the best of both systems. Korea would be united, off the table, and China would not have to be a factor in the equation any more. Our people could either come home or go to duty where they are more needed. We'd still have every power the USA now has to blow somebody to bits if our government saw no other choice. The Armistice would become a Peace Treaty instead of a 50-year old unstable cease fire. Hell, if a unified Korea wanted to go "communist" afterward (EXTREMELY unlikely), so what? We're living quite nicely with China, the largest communist nation ever known, and doing plenty of capitalist business with them (which satisfies our corporations as much as it damages our industrial base). Korea would just become another market! I don't see how we would lose any "face" by doing this, and maybe we'd even be seen throughout the world as being really really creative and smart.
Self determination is what WE demand, so why not get out of the way and let Korea self determine? It's for sure that what we've tried thusfar ain't workin'!
After 50 years a stalemate, especially one that's becoming dangerous again, is not looking too wise anymore.
It's either let it be, or go ahead and wait for Hell to freeze over...and pass that unworkable armistice along to our kids, and their kids.
|