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Memo to Zelenskyy: Study Korea

GrandpaPublius
@GrandpaPublius
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Dear Volodymyr,

Does any of this sound familiar? The bad guys, North Korea, invaded the good guys, South Korea. To stop the bad guys from winning, the Americans intervened. Unfortunately, just as the Americans were about to eliminate the retreating North Korean army, the adjoining super bad guys, China, intervened and pushed the Americans back. The Americans had all the military advantages except one — China had an unlimited number of soldiers. The result: a bloody stalemate.

North Korea wanted to fight to the death. South Korea wanted to fight to the death. China was willing to fight forever as long as China itself was unthreatened. America, however, wanted the killing to stop.

So, America told the South Koreans it had to agree to a ceasefire or America would leave. America told the Chinese that they had to agree to a ceasefire or else things would escalate and put China itself at risk. (The North Koreans had no choice but to do whatever China said to do.)

There was no permanent and lasting peace agreement. The bad guys were not punished. Justice was not done. Not only was a country divided, families were divided. South Koreans were made to watch as their Northern relatives were subjected to horrific oppression.

But, the killing stopped. America stayed behind to hold the line. America also assisted in the reconstruction of a devastated South.

Seventy years later, still no peace agreement. The North continues to threaten and oppress. America continues to hold the line. South Korea has become fabulously wealthy and successful, while the North has become one of the poorest places on Earth.

To quote The Rolling Stones, you can’t always get what you want, but you just might get what you need.

Best wishes,

G-Pub

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Discussion (81)

  • Subcomandante America@TheReticulator

    Nah, Russia is running low on soldiers that Putin dares to use. North Koreans rather than Russians were used for its most recent success. Trump should send American soldiers and weapons to Russia to help the Norks kill more Ukrainians. That's how you make peace. When all the Ukrainians are dead, then there is peace. Give peace a chance!

  • Subcomandante America@TheReticulator
    ReplyingtoSubcomandante America

    Subcomandante America (View Comment):

    Nah, Russia is running low on soldiers that Putin dares to use. North Koreans rather than Russians were used for its most recent success. Trump should send American soldiers and weapons to Russia to help the Norks kill more Ukrainians. That’s how you make peace. When all the Ukrainians are dead, then there is peace. Give peace a chance!

    And besides, the Korea solution would mean NATO/US boots on the ground in Ukraine. Putin would not want that. It might make him unhappy, and nobody wants Putin to be unhappy.

  • David Foster@DavidFoster

    Imagine that South Korea had had very valuable mineral deposits...and Eisenhower had decided *not* to leave US forces in S Korea after the ceasefire, but to strike a deal for mining concessions, resulting in a few hundred or maybe a few thousand American civilians resident there.

    Would North Korea have attacked again, or would they have been deterred by the likelihood of killing Americans and triggering a violent American response?

  • mildlyo@mildlyo
    GrandpaPublius (View Post):

    America told the Chinese that they had to agree to a ceasefire or else things would escalate and put China itself at risk. (The North Koreans had no choice but to do what ever China said to do.)

    To say this explicitly, The US could threaten the existence of China because the Korean War ended (1953) a decade before China's first atomic weapon test (1964).

    There is no equivalent power advantage of Zelenskyy's patron (USA) over the Regional countering power (Russia). Not locally in Eastern Europe.

    I do like the analogy positing Ukraine as the original attacker. I have believed that since 2022.

  • Doug Watt@DougWatt
    Replyingtomildlyo

    mildlyo (View Comment):

    GrandpaPublius (View Post):

    America told the Chinese that they had to agree to a ceasefire or else things would escalate and put China itself at risk. (The North Koreans had no choice but to do what ever China said to do.)

    To say this explicitly, The US could threaten the existence of China because the Korean War ended (1953) a decade before China’s first atomic weapon test (1964).

    There is no equivalent power advantage of Zelenskyy’s patron (USA) over the Regional countering power (Russia). Not locally in Eastern Europe.

    I do like the analogy positing Ukraine as the original attacker. I have believed that since 2022.

    I must have missed the Ukrainian invasion of Russia in 2022.

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