Globalization of defense alliances takes a new meaning as the road leading to a world war
As readers of these pages know, I very rarely offer links to writings of other commentators, however today I will make an exception and offer the following for your perusal:
https://maratkhairullin.substack.com/p/south-korea-has-decided-to-openly
I received this link earlier today from my good friend Ray McGovern and I am most appreciative because it slots into and amplifies what I was saying yesterday on ‘Judging Freedom’ about how the introduction of North Korean troops into the battlefield in Kursk and Donetsk, which Vladimir Putin did not deny yesterday under questioning at his press conference in Kazan, represents something very different from how it is presented on major Western media. To understand its true significance, you have to look not at any deficiencies in Russia’s manning levels on the Ukrainian fronts, as the Russia bashers in our media are doing, but to preparations for a new front to the country’s armed confrontation with the Collective West - now in the Far East.
It is hard at this moment to pin down the dates of the Russian and South Korean initiatives: did President Putin’s visit to Pyongyong and agreement on a comprehensive cooperation treaty including provisions for mutual defense prompt Seoul to listen to the siren voice of Washington and engage itself in the Ukrainian war? Or did advance knowledge of South Korea’s plans to send pilots and F16 jets to Romania for missions in and on behalf of Ukraine prompt Russia to conclude a mutual defense pact with North Korea?
Be that as it may, the trip wires are now set for what could be the expansion of the Ukrainian war into a global conflict. This scenario may even be more threatening than the powder keg we see in the Middle East with respect to a possible all-out war between Israel and Iran.
It should be noted that yesterday Russia’s parliament ratified the treaty with North Korea. In his press conference in Kazan, President Putin even alluded to the Article 4 of the treaty on mutual defense which obliges each signatory to provide support to the other party if it comes under attack. Since Russia has been ‘attacked’ by Ukraine when it staged the invasion of Kursk, this provision of the treaty has now been officially activated, all of which justifies the presence of North Korean troops on the front lines in Kursk and Donetsk.
And, by the same token, Russia will have free use of North Korean territory to attack South Korea should it determine that South Korean planes with or without South Korean pilots are being flown on behalf of Ukraine against Russian positions. That is a scenario that must give Seoul, and Washington, pause. Everyone knows full well that Pyong Yong can raze Seoul to the ground in one day of artillery fire, even without resorting to its nuclear armed missiles. It is unthinkable that Washington would rush to Seoul’s rescue if the price is to come under nuclear attack in the Continental United States as Russia implements its new nuclear doctrine.
Of course, the brakes and guard rails suggested above may not work, which is why I say that the present situation as described in the Mairat Khairullin substack posting is fraught with danger.
©Gilbert Doctorow, 2024