Best Interests

So what are China, Russia, and the United States doing in the Korean peace talks?

Is it that everyone who had an interest in the war nearly sixty years ago still retains the same interest? Or, perhaps, these are the nations that see some significance in Korea remaining divided.

Is it South Korea that is refusing to send the promised rice until the nuclear plants are destroyed? Don't think so. Is it China that is interested in opening the border so that Koreans can move back and forth with their families? Don't think so.

Perhaps the move, recently taken by the South to just go ahead and talk with the North, is a good move.

www.kimsoft.com/korea/4-talks.htm
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/IF02Dg01.html

Senior Fellow, Paul M. Edwards

From Stalemate to War

During the early phases of the Korean War, specifically on one important occasion on 9 January 1951, General Douglas MacArthur recommended to the Joint Chiefs of Staff that troops be withdrawn from Korea. Earlier the Joint Chiefs had identified MacArthur’s job as holding a series of defensive lines in Korea, causing as much harm to the enemy as possible, and then if that failed, to withdraw and see to the defense of Japan.

Interestingly, according to the release of some Soviet archives from the period, we now know that Joseph Stalin was also expressing the belief that Chinese Volunteers should stay north of the 38th parallel in order to avoid provoking a larger international war. It was from this political and military stalemate that the tide began to shift, the UN took the initiative while at the same time trying to open up talks on a potential cease fire.

Senior Fellow, Paul M. Edwards

Working Together

Some real understanding of the activities of our allies in the prolonged war in South Korea are just now coming to light.



While everyone should be aware that the Korean War was fought under the flag of the United Nations, in reality what that means is that twenty-seven nations worked together to put an army, a navy, marines, and air force personnel into the fight to maintain the sovereignty of South Korea.



That contribution ranged from small nations providing produce, to more involved nations sending large fighting units. The story pretty well remains untold in this country. To see some of the expanding information check out:



http://bubl.ac.uk/link/ for the United Kingdom;

www.answers.com.au/ for Australian information;

http://www.abondance.com/ for French involvement;

http://www.ijzer.nl/ for the Dutch; and

http://www.yehey.com/ for the Philippine sources.



Senior Fellow, Paul M. Edwards