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Donald Kirk

'A shrimp among whales'

The notion that South Korea should adopt a “neutral” position between the U.S. and China has been gaining traction as President Moon Jae-in looks for equilibrium between these two giant powers, near and far. It all goes back to that image of Korea as “a shrimp among whales” and the old line, “In a fight between whales, the shrimp's back gets broken.”

2021-12-02 16:41

Lessons from history: the Taft-Katsura meeting

The names of pivotal dates and places in history should appear fairly clear. Korea's history, however, is not so simple. Take the meeting in July 1905 between the U.S. secretary of state, William Howard Taft, and Katsura Taro, who served as the prime minister of Japan during the period in which Japan assumed control of Korea in 1905, and then in 1910, made the entire peninsula a colony.

2021-11-18 16:45

Debating who nukes whom

The prospect of any kind of nuclear war is frightening beyond imagination. We talk in the abstract about the millions who would die, but are reluctant to accept the reality that the worst might someday come true. Such talk echoes through the media whenever the question arises of who might strike first. We're accustomed to hearing aggrieved expressions of doubt and wounded sensitivities. Loose talk assumes urgency as the U.S. considers whether to adopt a policy of “no first use,” meaning that the U.S. would not initiate a nuclear holocaust.

2021-11-04 17:00

Powell, a man of war and peace

WASHINGTON - South Korea's pursuit of a declaration that the Korean War is over is an exercise largely unknown to virtually all Americans, aside from those with a stake in the debate. Ask just about any U.S. citizen if anyone's waging war in Korea, and the response will be one of bewilderment. “What war?,” What are you talking about?” and “Is there a war going on over there?” are typical answers.

2021-10-21 17:00

Rising risks in China

WASHINGTON - U.S. relations with China seem to be going from bad to worse at a dizzying pace. That's not to say war is about to break out at any of the obvious flashpoints, from the South China Sea to Taiwan to the Korean peninsula, but the signs of impending conflict are clear.

2021-10-07 17:05

Asia's deepening standoff

The acronym, “AUKUS,” when you try to pronounce it, sounds like some weird wild animal, an AUKUS. The initials stand for Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., but to the North Koreans and their Chinese supporters, they might as well be spelling the exotic name of one of those strange beasts that only inhabits Australia. Maybe a new breed of kangaroo or wombat with particularly sharp claws and mean teeth, poised to spring and strangle and tear apart enemies near and far.

2021-09-23 16:45

History's 'what if' questions

WASHINGTON - Millions remember exactly what they were doing when first hearing about awful events. The day John F. Kennedy was shot, Nov. 22, 1963, I'd been sleeping after an overnight shift for a paper in New York. For some reason I had to call about paying a parking ticket. The woman who took the call was weeping. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me Kennedy had been shot. I forgot about the parking ticket while pursuing on-the-street stories for the paper.

2021-09-09 17:00

Afghanistan's meaning for Korea

This nightmare scenario comes to mind: the Chinese have invaded South Korea in the name of the North Koreans, who are sort of an auxiliary force, and the wobbly, weak-kneed American president decides the South Koreans can fight on their own with no American troops, no U.S. air or naval power, just the arms the Americans have been selling them for billions.

2021-08-26 17:00

Olympic gamesmanship

Amazingly, the Tokyo Olympics went quite well. The upside of dramatic events, medals and celebrations captured top headlines on the sports pages. There were few real glitches. The decision of American gymnast Simone Biles to pull out of events that were too much for her mentally and the defection of Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya as her coaches were trying to force her to return to Belarus for remarks she had made against the dictatorial regime added touches of drama to the spectacle. The absence of spectators from the stands did not diminish the glory of competing for medals an...

2021-08-12 17:20

Looking for peace 68 years later

The U.S., North Korea and China were still at war, rhetorically speaking, on the 68th anniversary earlier this week of the signing of the armistice that formally ended the Korean War. The North Koreans declared the armistice a victory after the Americans and South Koreans and contingents from 16 other countries had fought to a stalemate.

2021-07-29 17:10

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