Oh yeah, stay on his good side!
Why North Korean “Reality” Is Important
Important word from Mike Walker, Col. USMC (retired)
All,
The fear of war in East Asia is not based on a reality that the region's nations are edging towards conflict because of state supported terrorism or religious hatred or over some other irresolvable problem.
China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States all want peace and work quite well together in promoting regional stability and economic progress.
The threat to peace comes from a North Korean leadership that has such a poor grasp of reality that it might actually think it would be logical to start a war because they truly believe they will win it.
I base this conclusion, in part, on my experiences as a former Marine intelligence officer that included duty with Combined Intelligence Section, Combined Marine Forces Command in Korea.
To better understand my point visit the link below, a short video for North Koreans to “educate” them about the United States.
Before you dismiss it as silliness, remember that there is no freedom of the press in North Korea. That video is the “real world” for all but a fraction of a percent of the population. It is NOT superficial propaganda or America-bashing.
The video represents the “truth” for the vast majority of the North Korean people, to include many in the highest ranks of the military and communist party -- the leaders who will decide if a new war against South Korea and the United States is “winnable.”
That is what scares people. After watching the video, if I were a North Korean army general, I would be more than confident that North Korea could defeat such a crippled nation so I would approve of an attack if the Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, asked my opinion.
North Koreans have watched over million of their fellows starve to death over the last twenty years (the typical North Korean is several inches shorter than their South Korean counterpart due to poor diet), there is only one car or truck for every one hundred citizens and most of those are owned by the military, their GPD standard of living is under $2,000 per capita and most homes are without electricity.
The idea that the United States has a $15 trillion GPD, the largest in the world, a land were there are eight vehicles for every ten people, where obesity from overeating is a major health concern, where the average home is valued above $200,000 and the GPD standard of living is $48,000 per capita is pure science fiction to North Korea’s leaders.
For someone living in North Korea, the real strength of the United States is beyond anything in their experience and is unimaginable. The video, however, represents a life every North Korean can relate to and BELIEVE.
That is why so many serious people in the rest of world worry over what North Korea will do or not do.
The final layer of uncertainty is that the radical socialist-dynastic regime in North Korea has a frighteningly wrong view of the 1950-1953 Korean War and that influences how they see the prospects of another war.
They not only grossly underestimate the military and economic power of the United States and the Republic of Korea today as compared to sixty years ago, they also badly underestimate the critical role played by the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China in saving the North from complete destruction during the 1950-1953 war.
Most senior North Korean officials feel they could have won that war and that they will surely win the next round now that they have nuclear weapons and what they think are "modern" arms.
Those are the types of miscalculation that start wars.
Mike
