Rhetoric

It has been interesting reading the coverage in the media regarding the nuclear aspirations as well as alleged human rights abuses in Iran and North Korea. Though slanted, comments from politicians in the west have been cautious and by in large have avoided the inflammatory. “Axis of Evil” talk has pretty much disappeared. The situation in Iraq, and the now infamous, “weapons of mass destruction”, justification for the war have, it seems, moderated the rhetoric.

So what are the press and politicians in Iran and North Korea saying? Well, they're giving full vent to their anger:

“Warmongers Unfit to Talk of Freedom”
“……Those whose hands are stained with the blood of the world’s people, who have staged wars in various regions, who are killing oppressed and defenseless (sic) and who have taken more than 60 million lives in a single world war, currently accuse our nation of violating human rights and freedom. They have no right to claim they are advocates of human rights and freedom,"

Iran Daily February 2nd 2006-02-03
http://www.iran-daily.com/1384/2491/html/

The North Koreans, are more strident in their condemnation of the west:

“…facts go to prove that the U.S. is wantonly violating the spirit of the September 19 joint statement adopted by the six parties and persistently pursuing its hostile policy toward the DPRK, utterly indifferent to the settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean ultra-right forces including the Grand National Party are zealously joining the U.S. in its “human rights” offensive. This offensive is nothing but the last resort of those doomed.
“….Only those imbeciles who know nothing about the nature of the DPRK’s social and political system and its people are obsessed by their daydream to “bring down its system.” Such stupid guys who bark at the moon cannot know about the DPRK till their death.
The U.S. and its lackeys would be well advised to stop their anti-DPRK “human rights” offensive at once. ….”
Peoples Korea (12/31/05)
http://www.korea-np.co.jp/pk/

The Korean papers are pretty interesting reading…..”The Dear leader” seems to be an expert on just about everything:
http://www.world-newspapers.com/north-korea.html

There may be issues of translation in play here, but the name calling and cold war slogan approach, don’t give rise to optimism. Whatever your views on the rights or wrongs of Iranian or North Korean, Human Rights or Nuclear aspirations, it's a bit chilling to contemplate the leaders of such states prefer to communicate in comic book slogans to present their messages to non domestic readers. These quotes came from English Language websites, known to be mouth pieces for their respective regimes; the words were aimed outward, and not as a sop to domestic indignation.

I was embarrassed by Bush’s “Axis of Evil speech” as it did much the same albeit in slightly less comical language. The US is also not above its own use of "straight to the point imagery":

We are talking about nuclear weapons and Human Rights.

The dialogue on the opposite side seems to be frighteningly one dimensional. These countries don't seem to be listening to the international community. What is the next step? The UN? Somehow I don’t see it exerting any sort of leverage.

Iran's president has gone on record that he wants to "wipe Isreal off the face of the earth", Rhetoric surely and unlikely to be acted upon, but it's frightening to note, he has replaced almost the whole diplomatic service with hardliners, some of whom have no experience outside of Iran let alone within the rarified world of international negotiations. North Korean is an anachronistic, Stalinist Kingdom. We know it already has nuclear weapons and it tests missles over the sea of Japan from time to time.
Both countries perpetrate brutal human rights abuses. North Koreans starve and eat grass whilst its military build weapons. Though it appeared to be reforming, Iran still enforces a rather vicious form of Islamic law http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sodomylaws.org/iran_hangingap203b.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sodomylaws.org/world/iran/iran.htm&h=244&w=299&sz=17&tbnid=we2VDZ-oH6fX7M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=111&hl=en&start=34&prev=/images%3Fq%3Diran%26start%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN

There is no doubt war in either region would be catastrophic. What can be done? Why should we care?
Any ideas? From the left or from the right, I’d be interested to hear.


Terry