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North Korea's Slight Of Hand
By Dana
North for many today is a country that is not known very well. Even among many in the Humanitarian field, getting help to people in this distant country is difficult. We know so little about it, yet we know it is a dangerous country. How do we know this? For one, many politicians have said it. The next thing we must do is ask ourselves do we believe them? After all if they are a dangerous country, a missle heading towards Alaska is not a very long way to travel.
Ever since the Korean war, it seems we have been at war with this nation in one way or another. There has been no "lets shake hands and come out friends". For the most part they have stayed isolated and out of touch. On the other hand, the USA has reached into just about every country on earth. We have been in the Vietnam war, Desert Storm running Sadam out of Kuwait, invaded Afghanistan creating a government there, and now we are in Iraq. To top it off we make threatening gestures to Iran weekly. Is it any wonder we have some that distrust us.
That is what North does. It does not trust us. According to the Congressional Research office (in the Library of Congress) stated that "North considers the United States to be a hostile nation and often takes actions commensurate with that policy." This fact was reported in one of their latest releases of CRS materials. For the record we don't trust them either. Like all nations out for its own existence, North needs money. The CRS reports that the Secret Service broke up an illegal ring which was making money for this North Korean nation. The ring reportedly was involved in heroin and methamphetamines, counterfeit cigarettes, counterfeit pharmaceuticals (for example "USA" manufactured Viagra), and counterfeit currency (e.g. US $100 bill "supernotes").
Morevover, the CRS estimates that North makes about 15-25 million dollars a year from this counterfeiting of American money alone. No one knows for sure how much money the North Koreans make illegally, mostly at our expense. They probably figure like many other nations, its okay. The USA is a rich country they can afford it. The North Korean is so good at counterfeiting, that it is commonly agreed that they could not tell the difference from legit $100.00 bills and their own pseudo $100 dollar bills. They make around
30% profit on these $100.00 counterfeits, while traditonal color copied make far less. In the past the South Korean intelligence agency has been able to track and get viable information on the North Korean counterfeiting activities. The USA is in current production to make the $100.00 bill a hard one to counterfeit, but this won't be available for some time. All this illegal activity is for a reason. It is the trade deficit that North must account for. They import more than they export. The money must come from somewhere, so they get it both legally and illegally.
As the nations watch on, North does its flip-flops on the nuclear issue. Within this breach of trust we find China and Japan alongside South wondering what is going on in North and what their intentions are. From the American standpoint, we do not trust them. For the North Koreans we are a hostile nation that has invaded other nations. They really believe we would invade them. On the one hand this nation needs more money, all the while they are building up nuclear stockpiles and pleading for the understanding of the international community.
The nation of North is simply a closed country. One that absolutely distrusts the USA. We believe ours is the moral right. Within the nations on earth, our moral right has been heard time and again. The power and might of the American fist can come down hard. Some fear it while others loathe it, as they play cards with us. Many nations are watching this scene unfold. No one wants a nuclear holocaust. The slight of hand this nation does to stay atop in the politcal debate is good. They manage to keep the USA at bay all the while working to keep their nuclear program working, or at least under the radar screen.
The question we must ask ourselves can we trust a nation that counterfeits our money, and trades in illegal activities? When we ask them if they will want a nuclear weapon and they say no can we really believe them? This is a question that Condi Rice and President Bush must decide when dealing with this nation. When both these are gone and new people take the mantle in the White House, the issue will be the same. Who can we trust?
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