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What was the true intention behind Secretary Kerry's trip to China?

By Murray Hunter - posted Tuesday, 16 April 2013


So the Author is postulating the Secretary Kerry's trip to China was the result of a miscalculation by the administration in heightening the tensions on the Korean Peninsula where any further escalation could lead to irrational responses in defense. From a North perspective, an attack could be seen as the best defense in these tensions.

In realising this miscalculation, John Kerry had to visit China to seek some form of "face saving" measure where the US could unilaterally de-escalate the rhetoric and action without being seen to back down.

This points to very poor policy handling on the part of the Obama Administration in this episode on the Korean Peninsula. Unfortunately the Clinton approach of the 1990s was dropped in favor of the Bush-Cheney "strategic competition and aggression" doctrine. This escalation was aimed at both "enhancing North Korea's image as an enemy", and making an excuse for more military activity in the region. By doing so the Obama Administration is the first to trigger a Chinese Level One military mobilization in many years since the Korean War.

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With the US putting conditions on North Korea before the six party talks can be resumed, the Administration is playing tactical military games with North Korea without any ability to communicate which is extremely dangerous. Maybe Kim Jong-un's message through Dennis Rodman "Obama should call me" did have more significance to it than was given credence at the time.

This is not to say that the North is the innocent bystander in all of this. The North Korean official media is not slow in making threats and statements that intentionally add to the tensions. This confrontation is also very opportune for the young Kim Jong-un to consolidate his position as a leader within the country. In fact, one of the consequences of this action is that it may actually be raising Kim to the status of a "hero" inside the North and hardening the support of those around him. Much of what is going on, the rhetoric, the drama, the closure of the Kaesong industrial zone, etc., is to consolidate North Korea's citizens of the support of their leaders, all leading up to the coming spectacular to celebrate Korea's first leader Kim Il sung's birthday on April 15th. This confrontation has ensured that there will be no letting up on authoritarianism in North Korea, or chance of opening the economy to the outside world for years to come.

For the citizens of the region, it appears the media has also through its manner of reporting played some role in heightening the tensions. In fact the playing up of tensions by the media, may have put the Obama Administration in the corner in need to "save face" and de-escalate tensions. There has been very little reporting from the North Korean perspective where most media has chosen to report only what the US Administration is saying. Even the London School of Economics has put in a formal complaint to the BBC because BBC officials didn't disclose their true intentions of making a derogatory documentary about North Korea during a student visit there.

If there is to be a long term solution to the Korean Peninsula crisis, the Obama Administration needs to think very hard about what they need to do, as what they are currently doing is not working. Secondly, the media through skewed reporting has actually become one of the tools of the US Administration during this Korean escalation. The memories of weapons of mass destruction and the Iraqi war are still fresh and that makes one worry if the truth has been the greatest casualty of this incident.

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About the Author

Murray Hunter is an associate professor at the University Malaysia Perlis. He blogs at Murray Hunter.

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