“Axis of Evil” is Fo’ Real

"North Korea's nuclear development is not intended as a bargaining chip as seen by the Western world. ... [Pyongyang] sees nuclear development as the only means to maintain Kim Jong-il's regime."

--North Korean Defector Kang Myong-To, in a U.S. House of Representatives Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare report, August 1994

For hitting the nail on the head, Bush’s 2002 linking of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq in a three-party “Axis of Evil” has certainly absorbed an unaccountably large amount of criticism. Iraq looks out of place in that group today only because the U.S. knocked Saddam out of power, and away from using oil to buy WMD. Iran and North Korea are our two biggest problems today—that is, until Pakistan falls into the hands of radicals. For now, though, peace is most threatened by North Korea with some version of the bomb, and by Iran trying to get one as fast as possible.

North Korea may keep its bomb to itself. But it is frightfully willing to commit any crime—and sell anything—to keep its regime alive, and is moving closer to Iran in a way similar to Japan and Germany’s drawing together on the eve of World War II because of their shared perspective. Iran is a terrorist state, supporting terrorism throughout the Middle East. If North Korea has both the bomb and the propensity to sell it, we should be alarmed.

It’s hard to believe the U.N. will succeed in separating North Korea from its bomb. If China helps in a meaningful way, we might make progress regionally. This is very hard, though, for China is acutely aware that actions taken against North Korea form precendents for dealing with Iran. Thank goodness Japan has come around. And South Korea is next. Evil is fo’ real.