US 'Suspends' Food Deal with North Korea over Missile Test...

Not sure if it has been posted yet however the US on Wednesday killed the food deal with North Korea. It appears tension over the missile test killed the deal. The only people who suffer are those starting in North Korea. Very sad that millions will starve...

the-diplomat.com...

reply to post by travis911


Then maybe North Korea should spend more time growing food rather than diverting all resources to the military. This is not the first time N. Korea has done this, and until the current N. Korean government collapses I dont see any changes in the future.

Originally posted by Xcathdra
reply to post by travis911

 

Then maybe North Korea should spend more time growing food rather than diverting all resources to the military. This is not the first time N. Korea has done this, and until the current N. Korean government collapses I dont see any changes in the future.

edit on 30-3-2012 by Xcathdra because: (no reason given)

Sadly, this is very true.

North Korea spend a greater portion of their GDP on military than any country in the world. The simple fact is, they could easily feed their starving masses if they redirected some of this funding towards agricultural development. The blame here must be squarely placed on the shoulders of the heartless North Korean regime.

Originally posted by nightbringr

North Korea spend a greater portion of their GDP on military than any country in the world. The simple fact is, they could easily feed their starving masses if they redirected some of this funding towards agricultural development. The blame here must be squarely placed on the shoulders of the heartless North Korean regime.

Doesn't the US spend 41% of their GDP on defence?

Hundreds of billions of dollars for weapons but none on building factories?

There is another thread about this at www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by CALGARIAN


The US government subsidizes business / industry (which is annoying but what ever) including construction of buildings / facilities. The State and local governments do the same as well as offering tax breaks to spur growth.

As far as military spending goes we are not diverting all of our resources to the military. Secondly unlike North Korea the US has one Federal Government and then 50+ states / commonwealths / territories all of which are autonomous from the Federal Government.

While I get the comparison you are trying to make, its not really accurate (respectfully). If the State of California diverted all of their resources towards the California National Guard at the expense of its people then we could compare.

I don't understand why the US feels obligated in ANY way to give the North Koreans anything except a wake up call. It's a little piss ant country. If it's protected by someone else, maybe they should be funneling the food money. In my opinion they are still our enemy. We are essentially giving them money because they are threatening us, and I thought we didn't negotiate with terrorists.

It seems like the biggest bad ass on the school yard getting threatened by a nerdy kid 4 years his junior, demanding his lunch. You can't have my lunch!

reply to post by Domo1


The phrase you are looking for is damned if you do, damned if you dont.

People complain that the US needs to stay out of the affairs of countries in one sentence and then demand some type of action in the next. In other threads dealing with similar topics the opinion by some is be refusing to trade / supply food / sanctions etc are punishing the people of the affected country.

Instead of laying blame at the government who created the mess, they blame the US for the conditions inside those countries. If North Korea sets off a nuke, we impose sanctions, people complain that we are killing North Korean civilians because of the sanctions.

They are already making that argument towards Iran.

Accountability apparently only applies to the US government.

I just dont know why N.K.would negotiate a food for non testing ban...and them immediatley break it.Their still starving and the US is pissed.What did they hope to gain?

Originally posted by AgentX09
I just dont know why N.K.would negotiate a food for non testing ban...and them immediatley break it.Their still starving and the US is pissed.What did they hope to gain?

Its been suggested by various sources, and im starting to agree, that maybe Junior doesn't have as much control over the country as we think. Its junior, his uncle and some generals who all jointly run things. Its possible this move is from one of those factions.

There have been comments that the military has had issues with being stuck in the 1950's and have been at odds with the Noirth korean leadership because of that. Maybe this is being done in an effort to sabotage the food deal in an effort to increase pressure on the North korean government.

Maybe to the extent of collapse.

reply to post by Xcathdra

maybe Junior doesn't have as much control over the country as we think

Or maybe Junior has a lot more...

When looking at reunification of Korea, the issue of a head of state comes up. Being part of a Dynasty there is some claim to this position, it is an important one to keep the parliament running smooth. With such a powerful position, there should also be some separation of powers. With the ruling party in NK called the 'Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea', there is clear willingness to move in this direction, but this wall is still a problem.

If a parliamentary style platform can get setup between the two nations without them killing each other first, it will help foster a responsible and productive chain of discussion to assist with the bigger issues of reunification.

Originally posted by travis911
Not sure if it has been posted yet however the US on Wednesday killed the food deal with North Korea. It appears tension over the missile test killed the deal. The only people who suffer are those starting in North Korea. Very sad that millions will starve...

the-diplomat.com...

edit on 30-3-2012 by travis911 because: wrong link

Let’s be real clear here...

It is not the US government starving the N. Koreans. It is their own leaders.

They systematically starve portions of the population every year so they can field a large standing Army.

Why we ever gave them aid in the first place is beyond me it’s called negotiating from a point of strength not a point of weakness. You don't give the other side comfort.

reply to post by Golf66


There are going to be a lot of logistical and currency challenges in any reunification attempts. With this aid, one area of resistance has been in allowing US inspection of distribution channels. To help establish a clearer understanding of the situation and enable better planning policies it would be good for NK to allow this.

reply to post by kwakakev


Just because a country uses a term like democratic or republic doesnt make them one.

* - Democratic People Republic of North Korea
* - People's Republic of China
* - Islamic Republic of Iran
* - Republic of Cuba
* - Republic of Chad
* - Democratic Republic of the Congo

Just to name a few..... The people of South Korea are not going to accept a reunification between the 2 if it means having Junior as their new leader. The people of North Korea are not going to accept a reunification between the 2 if it means having the South Korean government / individual as their new leader (although in private I suspect the majority would be ok with it).

North Koreas actions, aside from thinking they were showing off the world during the nuclear summit in South Korea, made no sense. That being said im sure the action made perfect sense to them, but thats to be expected when the mindset is stuck in the 1950's.

The war between North and South Korea needs to be brought to an end, however I don't see that working in North Koreas favor at all. whats interesting about the peace treaty overatures is it doesn't seem to include South Korea, which makes me wonder if its an attempt to try and remove the US presence from any potential re-escalation of hostilities between the 2.

Like Iran, Russia and China will eventually grow tired of supporting countries like N. Korea, Iran and Syria. the actions of those countries are going to lead into a conflict with the mindset china / Russia is going to protect them. What they fail to realize is all politics are local, meaning Russia and china aren't going to risk a war that could drag their governments down for supporting countries like Iran Syria or North Korea.

That being said I still think this is a power play withinh the fragmented North Korean government.

reply to post by Xcathdra


I fully agree that just because NK calls its self a Democratic Republic Party does not make it so. However, the united aspirations and group direction that this title symbolises does mean a lot. As for how it actually gets their is still another story.

I am not sure what will happen the head of state and just putting out ideas to asses the situation. As long as Korea can find some agreement it is a good thing. When you look at the population and economic factors it is clear that SK will have a leadership role between the two. It is had to say what Junior will do in a unified Korea, much of it will be up to him and what kind of role he wants. Do you think there could be some executive powers available to Junior if that is what he wants? Otherwise business, banking, celebrity gossip, some kind of ombudsman role to be an advocate in political issues or anything else.

Any moves towards peace is generally a hard and long discussion with compromises made by both sides. It would be good if US, China and other nations just sit on the side line to help Korea through it. There a lot of greater interests going on in the region and some things worth standing for, other are not.

I am sure China and Russia would love the situations in Iran, Syria and North Korea to be changed. But how is that change implemented and managed? How does this change blend in without creating a blood bath each time? Where is the simple and common goal that everyone can agree on? If central bank logic was so strong why has it needed guns, or is it just another local political power play?