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Lagniappe
Scott Sullivan:
Will North Korea abandon Iran?
North Korea, most often referred to as a rogue state involved in nuclear
blackmail, narcotics smuggling, and large scale currency counterfeiting, was
actually once a US ally, an important one. The US could revive that history
in convincing North Korea to abandon Iran's missile delivery program, which
would essentially bring this program to a halt.The US-North Korea alliance emerged as a result of the US alliance with
China
that was directed against Soviet imperialism in the 1970's and 1980's. This
long struggle with the Soviet Union on one side and the US and China on the
other was essentially a struggle for influence in the Third World states and
the Third World revolutionary organizations.Going into the 1970's the Soviet Union had the decided advantage over the US
and China. Since 1917 a leader in the anti-colonial struggle aimed at the
West, the Soviet Union had by far greater influence than China over the
Palestinian organizations and terrorist groups, the anti-Apartheid movement
in South Africa, and even in the leftist movements in China's back yard of
Southeast Asia, not to forget the leftist groups in Latin America.Moreover, Moscow was able to buttress its political influence with Soviet
boots on the ground. Soviet military advisors and Soviet weapons were made
freely available around the world, in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and
Latin America. The KGB was given wide latitude to operate abroad, often in
direct association with terrorist groups.Moscow worked primarily through two client states (referred to by China as
the Soviet Union's "running dogs") -- Cuba and Vietnam. Thanks to these two
states, the Soviet posed a direct military threat to the US, via Cuba and
Castro, and to China via Vietnam.The US and China were desperate to beat back the Soviet threat to their
territory. For both the US and China, opting out of the battle for
influence in the Third World was not an option. In fact, for both states it
would have spelled defeat and decline.Desperate times call for desperate measures. China went to the extreme of
taking on Castro in a no-holds barred confrontation. China went after Cuba
and Castro in every corner of the Third World. Whatever Castro supported,
China opposed. Castro was for Salvador Allende in Chile, who was overthrown
by General Pinochet in a military coup, China was for Pinochet. In fact,
China and the US both recognized and dealt with the Pinochet regime, despite
howls of outrage from leftist groups.Like Cuba, Vietnam presented an acute problem for both China and the US.
Vietnam,backed by Moscow, was on the offensive in Southeast Asia following
the withdrawal of US forces. The US was powerless to stop this Hanoi-Moscow
steamroller. Then Vietnam invaded Cambodia, anticipating an easy victory
until China stepped in to support Cambodia's legendary ruler Prince Sihanouk
and the Cambodian resistance.This is where North Korea and Kim Il-Sung (Kim Jong-Il's father) entered the
picture. Prince Sihanouk fled Cambodia as Vietnam's forces occupied his
country but wanted to relocate somewhere in the region where he could
represent the legitimate Cambodian government and the resistance forces.
North Korea, at considerable risk to its previously close relations with the
Soviet Union, which borders on North Korea, offered Sihanouk sanctuary for
several years of civil war in Cambodia, until a political agreement was
negotiated that permitted his return.In short, Southeast Asia did not fall to Hanoi and Moscow, as was widely
predicted when the US withdrew from Vietnam in 1974. Vietnam's military
offensive was stopped for good in Cambodia, thanks in no small measure to
Kim Il-Sung and North Korea, as well as China.North Korea picked the winning side - the US and China -- throughout the
1970's and played a large role, along with Yugoslavia, in rallying the Third
World against Soviet imperialism. It should not be that difficult for the
US, China and Russia to convince Kim Jong-Il that Persian imperialism - like
Soviet imperialism before -- is a loser and that Ahmadinejad soon will be on
his way out.Remember, without technical support from North Korea, Iran's own missile
delivery program is going nowhere. Iran has no alternate supplier.
Scott Sullivan is a former Washington government employee. Petroleumworld not necessarily share these views.
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Petroleumworld News 10/12/06
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