(rest of title: Near Disputed Sea Boundary). https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6626850 While these were just "warning shots," from South Korea-- who claims the North Korean ship had breached their territorial waters, prompting the N. Korean vessel to return 10 shells' worth of fire, and for the North to claim that it was the South which had intruded into its own territory (no news of whether there were any artillery strikes)-- it does demonstrate a seeming emboldening, either in a willingness to test others' borders or, in the nation trespassed against, to stand up for itself, when this testing occurs. One cannot help but wonder if the drama playing out in Ukraine, had any part in inspiring this strong response. But I think, in this case, that is just a coincidence. Admittedly, the incident is complicated by a poorly-defined sea border, here, but my guess-- built upon the well documented increase in aggressive actions, taken recently by North Korea, regarding missile "tests"-- is that this represents Kim Jong-Un's willingness to antagonize, growing along with his country's military capabilities. The real question, then, would come down to: what is the North Korean leader thinking? Was this an attempt to intimidate, a la the Chinese tactics, aimed at Taiwan? Quite possibly, he may have wished to gain a sense of the South's resolve, of their willingness to respond militarily, to see how soft a cushion Kim might have, to strut his stuff, in service of promoting his heroic image, domestically. Then again, while it would be foolish to telegraph one's intention to attack a neighbor, if not necessary, we cannot always assume rational moves, from all-powerful dictators. Sometimes they are motivated by passion, over reason. It is interesting, also, to consider the appearance of a general growing belligerence, endemic within the Far East, particularly among China, Taiwan, Japan, and the Koreas. Does anyone think they can offer any insights, into this phenomena? Or perhaps wish to speculate, as to what may be going on, either specific to the Korean peninsula, or in the general region? Is their any reason to tie these two different, long- simmering situations, both appearing to simultaneously become hotter? I will put forth my own thesis, that it has been a weakening of the images of autocratic governments, in the East-- exactly the opposite of what has been happening in the West-- by an increase in the discontent of their people, because of the recent pandemic. Thus, these leaders have sought to stoke nationalistic feelings, as a way of solidifying their domestic support. That would be a rational way of thinking, on their parts, at any rate. But are these leaders-- both autocratic and democratically chosen-- acting rationally? A last, curious note, is that this all occurred on Monday, but I only heard it, presented as "Breaking News," tonight (Sunday). Why such a delay in the reporting of this? Did no civilians know about this, until the Koreas broke their silence? Any opinions?
