A unique perspective - The truth matters .
North Korea has finally made clear its ambition to be a nuclear state by launching a test missile last month. But how exactly is the west, interpreting those ideas?
We are told by North Korea that any missile launch that they engage in will be for peaceful purposes and are simply to put satellites in space for global viewing options.
The west’s propaganda on the North Korean missile issue is that they are concealing their real intentions and it will not be long before they have nuclear warheads locked inside their missiles and are threatening the peace of the world.
It all sounds like a very familiar story and one which the U.S can’t really do much about. It can of course impose sanctions on the country but that has little or no effect, and the inevitable humanitarian fallout does little for the U.S image.
It has been put in the news media that the real reason for the launch was so the North Koreans can see how the newly elected U.S president reacts under pressure. This was also stated about the Chinese who are also watching Barack Obama closely, while not bowing to pressure to persuade North Korea to call off the missile launch.
Japan had warships patrolling its seas and patriot batteries were set up around Tokyo, just in case the missiles strayed off course. Two Japanese missile destroyers set sail, under orders to intercept the Taepodong-2 missile if the launch went wrong, and the missile was going to come down in Japan – a key U.S ally.
North Korea has said any interception would have amounted to an act of war.
Kim Jong-Il has stated that if the missile is destroyed, the country will strike back violently, conduct a second weapons test, and ruin years of American disarmament diplomacy.
The launch has become a test of American power, according to one of the most senior foreign policy advisors to China. The U.S will be “bankrupt in reputation and dignity” if the missile violates Japanese sovereignty and is not destroyed, said Professor Zhang Lian-gui, of the Central Party School.
His comments, on official record, showed how keenly Chinese leaders were watching Obama’s performance under pressure. Obama will have his first summit with President Hu Jintao in London this week. American and Chinese ships recently clashed in the South China Sea and the two nations exchanged angry words about a Pentagon report on China’s military build-up. The Chinese have refused to persuade their North Korean ally to call off the launch and are standing back to see how America and its allies deal with it.
North Korean Missile Offensive.
North Korea has finally made clear its ambition to be a nuclear state by launching a test missile last month. But how exactly is the west, interpreting those ideas?
We are told by North Korea that any missile launch that they engage in will be for peaceful purposes and are simply to put satellites in space for global viewing options.
The west’s propaganda on the North Korean missile issue is that they are concealing their real intentions and it will not be long before they have nuclear warheads locked inside their missiles and are threatening the peace of the world.
