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September 6, 2018

Kim Jong Un and ISIS

Reuel S. Amdur

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Kim Jong Un is a threat to the United States. He wants to develop nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. Donald Trump wants to put a stop to that. However, Trump comes to court with unclean hands. Not only does the United States have a massive stockpile of nuclear weapons, but Trump openly brags about the development of new nuclear weapons for various military uses. What is sauce for the goose is not necessarily sauce for the gander.

So what is Trump prepared to give Kim in exchange for North Korea abandoning its nuclear program?  Put yourself in Kim’s shoes.  He looks around the world and comes to the conclusion that the only realistic deterrent is nuclear.  He knows what happened to the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances signed by Russia, Britain, the United States, China, and France.  It was a guarantee, among other things, for the territorial integrity of the Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan in exchange for their abandonment of their nuclear weapons.  We know how that turned out in the Ukraine.  Kim also knows.  So Kim is more likely to rely on the bomb than on Trump’s word.

The failure of all signatories to come to the aid of the Ukraine serves as a warning for Canada on its involvement in Latvia.  A corporal’s guard of Canadian forces is there to serve as a guarantee against Russian aggression.  However, if Russia stokes up restlessness among Latvia’s Russian-speaking minority, to be followed by a long line of Russian tanks and troops, make no mistake: no one will stop them, not the United States and most assuredly not Canada.  We in fact would be very lucky not to see our Canadian troops returning home in body bags.

Kim wants to join the nuclear club as a measure of security.  Of course, the more nations in the club, the less security for all of us.  The same is true of efforts of club members to enhance their weaponry.  Trump wants Kim to do what he would never do.

Where is Gorbachev now that we so sorely need him?  He ended the Cold War, now being re-heated.  Another Gorbachev might end the nuclear arms race.  Trump is no Gorbachev.

Kim gets the bad publicity for nuclear policy, not that he doesn’t deserve it, but surely there should be enough condemnation to be spread around a bit more.  A similar kind of blindness affects how governments and the public see Canadians going off to join ISIS, al-Qaida, and al-Shabab.  These young people damage the countries where they land, in Syria, Iraq, and Somalia.  As well, there is the potential for them to return to Canada and continue their carnage.  Some commit murderous rampages without ever going abroad.  Yes, it makes good sense to try to deter their behaviour.

However, these Islamic extremists are not the only extremists in and from Canada going abroad to wreak havoc, destabilize countries, and terrorize civilians.  And they are not the only extremists who serve as a threat here in Canada.  The Jewish Defense League has engaged in violent activities in Canada and the U.S., including attempts at bombing attacks and successful bombings.  They have engaged in killings in the United States.  In Hebron, JDL member Baruch Goldstein shot up a mosque during a service, killing a number of worshippers.

There are Jews from Canada in West Bank outposts.  Colonists from such outposts burn homes, olive trees, and other crops.  They attack shepherds and children on their way to and from school.  They inflame relations between Jews and Palestinians.  Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper took a JDL leader with a delegation on a trip to Israel. 

The media are full of efforts to deal with Kim’s threat to the world and with Islamic extremism here and abroad.  How much do we hear about Trump’s nuclear adventurism?  How much about Jewish extremism?

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