Follow us on social

Shutterstock_724589092

US, South Korea respond to North's missile tests — with missile tests

While it might seem like the right thing to do at the moment, military showcasing doesn't replace the hard work of diplomacy.

Analysis | Asia-Pacific

Today’s commemoration of the 67th anniversary of Memorial Day in South Korea took a somber tone, as it came on the heels of eight ballistic missile launches by North Korea yesterday and eight ballistic missile launches by the U.S. and South Korean militaries earlier today.

Standing before the Seoul National Cemetery, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to respond “firmly and strictly” (“단호하고 엄정하게”) to any provocations from North Korea. Yoon described North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles as not only a threat to the Korean Peninsula but also a threat to Northeast Asia and the world. 

Whether such strong words and military responses to North Korea’s missile tests will deter or provoke it remains an open question and a test for the Yoon administration, now in its third month. What is certain is that tensions will grow on the Korean Peninsula at a time when the U.S. appears distracted by the brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia as well as countering the supposed existential threat posed by China.

To President Biden’s credit, its officials have sought to delink the goals of denuclearization from addressing North Korea’s Covid-19 crisis. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink noted at an event co-hosted by Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Korea Foundation in Washington that the United States “continue[s] to support efforts to provide humanitarian assistance and COVID-19 vaccines to the DPRK. We see this humanitarian crisis as separate from making progress on denuclearization and we do not and will not link the two.”

The problem is that action speaks louder than words. And unless diplomatic efforts are given adequate space to succeed, they will be drowned out by military shows of force, the latter of which plays into the North Korean government’s narrative that it is under threat and in need of nuclear weapons to survive. 

As South Koreans remember those who fought to defend their nation during the Korean War, American and North Koreans would also do well to remember that while shooting missiles may seem like the right thing to do at the moment, they do nothing to address the fundamental security and political conditions on the peninsula. A true way to honor the veterans of that war would be to stop the saber-rattling and negotiate a peace treaty before missile tests become missile attacks.

(Alex SG/shutterstock)
Analysis | Asia-Pacific
Why no one should take this hawkish think tank seriously

Screengrab via youtube.com/@PBSNewsHour

Why no one should take this hawkish think tank seriously

QiOSK

Foundation for the Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz shared a graphic on the X platform this week purporting to place blame on President Biden for Iran’s increasing stockpile of high enriched uranium — material that can be used in nuclear weapons — when in reality it’s Dubowitz, his organization and their allies in the Trump administration that are largely responsible.

“Facts are stubborn things,” Dubowitz said before showing the graphic. “Iran’s nuclear expansion has occurred under the Biden administration’s failed Iran policy of maximum concessions.”

keep readingShow less
Senegal dodges crisis as authorities certify opposition victory

Senegal's president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye speaks during a press conference in Dakar, Senegal March 25, 2024. REUTERS/ Luc Gnago

Senegal dodges crisis as authorities certify opposition victory

QiOSK

Political outsider Bassirou Diomaye Faye will officially be declared the next president of Senegal Friday after cruising to victory in this week’s elections just 10 days after being released from prison.

Faye won 54% of the vote, allowing him to avoid a second round matchup with former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, the Dakar Court of Appeals announced Wednesday. Ba has conceded defeat and congratulated Faye, as has current President Macky Sall.

keep readingShow less
Where are the US ships on the Gaza aid mission now?
File:US Navy 030530-N-0000X-002 Sea trials of USNS Benavidez (T ...

Where are the US ships on the Gaza aid mission now?

QiOSK

The Army and Navy ships that have left the U.S. for a massive humanitarian aid project in Gaza are still making their way across the Atlantic, with two still at ports in Florida and Virginia. It will likely take until mid-April for the vessels to reach Gaza and begin building a temporary causeway to facilitate the entry of life-saving aid into the strip.

Looking at real-time satellite imagery tracking military vessels, it looks like the USAV Gen. Frank Besson Jr., an Army support vessel that left Fort Eustis, Virginia, on March 10, has been moored and presumably refueling at a port in the Azores, Portugal, since Friday. It is at the half-way point between the U.S. and its final destination of Cyprus (nearly 5,000 nautical miles total). At an average speed of 10 knots, its journey will take nearly two more weeks, depending on weather conditions, once it gets going again.

keep readingShow less

Israel-Gaza Crisis

Latest