Dear Editor,
It took Fidel Castro, now retired and out of the public view for quite some time to come out and issue the strongest warning against North Korea’s increasing threats of a nuclear attack against its neighbour South Korea and the United States. Perhaps there is no one better than Fidel, whose Cuban revolution was itself at the centre of a missile crisis over half a century ago, to warn of the dangers of a nuclear attack.
One would have expected such a warning to come from the hemispheric Organization of American States (OAS) and from regional organizations such as CARICOM. OAS Secretary General Insulza did issue a statement on February 13 warning of the dangers of a North Korean nuclear test but the collective body has not held an emergency Permanent Council Meeting nor has CARICOM and other regional organizations issued any warning to the young upstart at the head of the North Korean regime to refrain from his ongoing threats, one of which claims that a nuclear missile is aimed at Austin, Texas.
While much of grandson Kim’s threats might just be attention getting grandstanding, this young “turk” must recognize that he can’t be raising tensions around the world. The international community, as much as it may be giving him the attention he wants, must itself threaten North Korea with decisive action if young Kim continues this reckless public conduct of threats to global peace and security. China in particular must tell this “boy leader” that what he is doing is no “fun and games” and unless he desists from his lunatic behaviour he stands to bring about the destruction of North Korea.
CARICOM nations such as Guyana and Jamaica which enjoy long and close ties with both China and the DPRK must strongly register their concern about these threats aimed to our hemisphere. They must let young Kim know that an attack on one country in the Americas would be considered an attack on all of this hemisphere. President Obama and America’s allies around the world must leave no stone unturned in protecting the people of the Americas from the worst possible consequences of a North Korean nuclear attack, should it ever take place. One option for protecting the people of the Americas as well as those of South Korea would be to “take out” North Korea’s nuclear facilities once and for all while at the same time immobilizing their military capacity especially their ground force which is made up of millions of armed combatants. This option should not be off the table…it may well be the best option for a secure and lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula. The exercise of this option would also put Iran and Pakistan on notice that the drums of war have begun beating for those who want to continue to pose a nuclear threat to this world.
Another important consideration, if not priority at this point for the Americas must be the reintroduction of Cuba into our hemispheric family…the lifting of its suspension from the OAS and normalization of Cuba/US relations. Our hemispheric unity should not preclude a plurality of outlook, it must pre-suppose it, for in the final analysis while we may have differences within the family, the family must be one against external threats and be unified in its action to defend the family members…the people of the Americas.
Yours faithfully,
Wesley Kirton
