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Standing Up to North Korea’s Provocations

- Wednesday, November 24, 2010 |

President Obama struck just the right notes after the North Korean artillery barrage that killed two South Korean marines and two civilians yesterday. He was outraged, as we all should be, but didn’t take the North Korean bait. U.S. Forces Korea – not the White House – made the announcement that, “The USS George Washington carrier strike group will join Republic of Korea naval forces in the waters west of the Korean peninsula from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 to conduct the next exercise in the series announced at the 2+2 meetings in July.”

The United States will do what it announced it would do, stand by South Korea and not be deterred by North Koran insistence that U.S.-ROK exercises are ipso facto “provocations.”

We are thankful that, thus far, the President has not invited former President Carter to give him advice. Carter, in The Washington Post, reminded us that he negotiated the failed 1994 “agreed framework,” under which North Korea pocketed aid and continued its nuclear weapons program while providing assistance to Syria, Iran and others. “It is entirely possible,” Carter wrote, “that [North Korea’s nuclear program and the shelling] are designed to remind the world that they deserve respect in negotiations that will shape their future.” That’s all, just a little respect for the regime that has starved its people to acquire nuclear weapons, engages in nuclear proliferation and has engaged in increasingly large scale attacks against South Korea. It’s called “juche,” says Carter, “self-reliance and avoidance of domination by others.”

It’s actually called “unprovoked aggression,” and Mr. Carter thinks it’s our fault.

North Korea wants direct bilateral talks with the United States to cut out South Korea, which it doesn’t acknowledge, to show “respect.” “We should consider responding to this offer. The unfortunate alternative is for “North Koreans to take whatever actions they consider necessary to defend themselves from what they claim they fear most: a military attack supported by the United States, along with efforts to change the political regime.”

President Obama has wisely chosen not to respond to North Korea’s definition of the problem – which is that we are there, we breathe and we will defend the South.

At Thanksgiving, would it be churlish to point out that a similar pattern of behavior exists in the Middle East? Whatever Israel does, whatever it says, wherever it is, the Palestinians find it to be a provocation. And U.S. support for Israel, although not by treaty as it is with South Korea, is a provocation the Palestinians want remediated as well. So we will say only that we hope the President is as firm and careful there has he has been thus far in the Pacific.

At Thanksgiving, we are thankful first and foremost for America and for Americans. We are thankful for the blessings of our great country, our freedoms, our families, our friends, and our lives. We are grateful to servicemen and women, police officers, fire fighters, airport security screeners (yes), border guards, FBI and CIA agents, the Administration and members of Congress of both parties who believe and speak and vote with the understanding that our nation is at war. We are grateful for heroes by choice and heroes by chance. We believe it is the combination of all these people working under difficult and often-dangerous circumstances – not a lack of trying on the part of the bad guys – that has have kept us safe for another year. We are grateful to the parents for raising the children who grew into the adults who serve America in so many ways at home and abroad, and grateful to their families for sharing them.