Korea was conquered by Japan from 1910 to 1945. After the United States and the Soviet Union defeated Japan in 1945, the country was divided in half at the 38th parallel. The Soviet Union took the north and the United States took the south.
“In April 1950 “Stalin gave Kim ll Sung, the leader of North Korea permission to invade the south under the condition that Mao Zedong would agree to send reinforcements if needed. For Kim this was the fulfillment of his goal to unite Korea.’’ 1.
North Korea was led by communist Kim ll-sung, with the overt help of Mao’s Communist China, and the covert help of Stalin and his Communist Russia. Against South Korea led by Syngman Rhee with the help of the United States and twenty-one countries that comprised the United Nations forces.
If we look at a Korean war time-line map it would read like a boxing match where one opponent was winning then the other, and then the one. The end result was a draw. After three years of misery and bloodshed, the United States, the Peoples Republic of China, North Korea and South Korea agreed to an Armistice. A new border was established between North and South Korea and a demilitarized zone between the two nations. Nuclear weapons were not used through fear it would start World War III.
On August 10, 2017 the Chinese state-owned newspaper said “That China will attack America if it attacks North Korea first and will only stay neutral if Kim attacks the United States first.”2. Thanks China! So much for our “good buddies” the Chinese. They devalue their currency against the dollar, and they have increased their standard of living by taking our jobs, and giving us cheap prices at the the expense of making our middle class almost a third world country. Yet they still do not want a democratic, free-market society on their border. Especially the United States. It is a threat to their sovereignty. North Korea provides a buffer zone and China (as in the past) will always have their back.
Russia continues to provide covert military and technical support as they once did. Their passive-aggressive assistance helps destabilize and weaken us as before. It’s the smart play. No president has ever been able to change this.
Scenario One: With enemies on all sides and his people living in poverty, Kim Jung Un knows “hand down” that with a nuclear powered North Korea he can bully his way to get the sanctions lifted and sit at the nuclear table with the United States, Russia, China, Pakistan, and India.
Meanwhile, Trump can call him “rocket man” and a “sick puppy” and Kim will call Trump “that crazy old man”. It’s all bluster! And since we don’t live in a perfect world this is the most positive and probable scenario.
In the doomsday scenario, somebody would launch. South Korea and United States would attack. China would come in to defend old ally North Korea. Russia would stand down and wait to pick off the looser whomever it was. More than likely both sides would have devastating causalities and would not welcome further conflict. Russia could then nibble away at the two wounded giants. The rest of the world would just watch. Nobody would have the stomach for what could happen next. And that’s why I have chosen the first scenario as the most likely outcome.
- Wikipedia: Weathersby Kathryn (2002) Should we fear this? Stalin and the danger of war with America. Cold war international history project. Working paper # 39.
- Chinese-State owned newspaper. Article 8/10/17
- Wikipedia the free encyclopedia.
Interesting article. Waiting to find out what will happen after Trump, Kim and China get together.
Trump will find it hard for North Korea to give up nukes. Kim will show the world he can negotiate as a nuclear power and have u.s. leave the area. That’s his goal
Great article, enjoyed reading it.