++ [ originally posted by mikhail
] ++
That, or you non-Europeans need to stop living in the dark. There's only 450,000,000 of us, and 5,550,000,000 of you.
Okay, this is a slightly tangental issue, but an important one none-the-less. Firstly, the USA's motives aren't really in question here. When Republican committees churn out lines suggesting the invasion of Iraq "to secure strategic oil reserves" as early as the mid-ninties, I can't see humanitarianism as their top priority.
That isn't important. It's the effects that matter, not the cause or the motivation of those involved. Yes, Afganistan (which the US has allocated an aid budget this year of approximately $3.95, give or take a few dollers - and no, I'm not missing an 'm', or a 'b') is a mangled wreck, and Iraq is currently being steered into a hole they'll spend the next century climbing out of, but I didn't, and don't agree with the invasion of either country.
Britain already screwed up Iraq when they carved it up in the first place. Look at Iraq on a map. Its borders are straight as an arrow, adn it's not a coincidence - Iraq is an artificial state, made up of a number of distinct ethnic groups. With Sadam gone, these groups should be seperated, but instead they'll get lumped in together and probably wind up beating the hell out of eachother again.
Now look at North and South Korea. Again, we have an artificial state, but this time it's one ethnic group that's split in two. Unification of the states is natural. While we're at it, Gray, do you have anything to add on this - you're from S. Korea, right?
The second thing to note is that South Korea is rich. In other words, you have a big source of money to rebuild the North if they're reunited (which, as far as I know, is why the south prefer things as they are(!)). A prosperous country is rarely a problem in these days. I'd also referance the reunification of Germany here.
I don't think they can work out naturally, at least not for a long time. The people of North Korea are kept in ignorance, and feat of the outside world. Ignorant people won't rise up. There's one guy (a Korean, I can't remember from which side), working from Japan, who'se been flying radios into N. Korea for a few years now, in the hope that they'll help these people find out the truth.
The ruling party there accused Bush of threatening a
nuclear first strike on the country. They're quite open about the fact that they're producing weapons-grade plutonium, and it's estimated that they have enough for 6-8 bombs big enough to take out a decent-sized city.
It's great that you think your government is wrong. North Koreans don't have that luxery.