Take Away Their Mercedes

Take Away Their Mercedes, was written by Marcus Noland who is author of “Avoiding the Apocalypse: The Future of the Two Koreas” and “Korea after Kim Jong-Il”. Marcus Noland has been associated with the Peterson Institute for International Economics since 1985. His areas of geographical knowledge and interest include Asia and Africa where he has lived and worked. In the past, he has written extensively on the economies of Japan, Korea, and China. He is unique among American economists in having devoted serious scholarly effort to the problems of North Korea and the prospects for Korean unification.

His targeted audience is not only U.S. government but also, private organizations which provide donations to North Korea without any condition.
In this article, the author wrote about the speculation of North Korea’s recent missile launching test. He mentioned several reasons for North Korea’s recent naughty behavior. There aggressive behavior might be towards South Korea’s new government, which they have strict policies toward North Korea, or a test of the new Obama administration, or even to advertise indirectly to potential weapon buyers like Iran, Syria and Libya. The U.N. has tried several different methods to calm North Korea attempts towards weapon testing and weapons of mass destruction, but it shows to be ineffective.

Another thing that the author mentions is that it might be easier for the U.S to deal with North Korea right now, because China and South Korea are in favor of tougher sanctions. He briefly mentions a way to solve this problem with North Korea. North Korea depends on outsiders for oil, food, and medicines. The U.N. has been talking about cutting the source for oil but not for food or essential medicines. The author stated that they should cut the food and medicine which would have a bigger impact on North Korea.

The author only looks at this matter from the American point of view. He never mentioned about how it might affect South Korea. The thought is, if the U.S. were to cut down food and essential medicines for North Korea, then they won’t have any other choice but to give up on weapon testing. But what is not being mentioned is the possibility of North Korea still pursuing weapon testing. Even though the missiles being tested may not reach a U.S. border, there is still a possibility of one landing in an unintended area like South Korea. South Korea has had a cease fire agreement with North Korea since the 1960s. U.S military forces have had a presence in South Korea ever since then; for the purpose of protecting South Korea from North Korea’s invasion. The U.S will react regardless of where the rocket lands. So the U.S. government can’t just corner them and cut out all aids they need.