Despite little scope for a clash of civilisations, as in the Mediterranean and Arab regions, the eastern theatre comprising the Korean Peninsula and the Far East have seen countless acts of savagery over the past century or more, climaxing with the first use of nuclear weapons. It is not in Syria and Afghanistan or Iraq, but in two prolonged engagements after World War II in the Asia-Pacific –– in Korea and Vietnam –– that over one lakh US soldiers were killed –– alongside millions of other natives of these lands.

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There is no history of crusades as in the Middle East, yet it is a fact that two nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and this was not because Japan was not surrendering. It was about to give in. But the US chose to nuke Japan as it wanted to hasten the pace of capitulation before it, and not Russia, which after the end of World War II in Europe on May 8, 1945, was shifting its attention towards Japan. Obviously, Russia wanted to take revenge for the humiliation it suffered in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), and simultaneously neutralise the influence of the US in the East. But the United States succeeded in its design and became the master of the entire Pacific region.

The origin of colonialisation of the East by the United States can be traced to the defeat of the Filipinos following the Philippines-American War (1899-1902). The imperialist designs of Japan and its occupation of Korea and China, between 1931 and 1945 and  the subsequent Korean War (1950-53), left a deep scar in the minds of the natives of the region, and the victims of the incessant bloodshed. According to an estimate, two to three crore people –– possibly even more –– died in bloodbaths. The Chinese and Koreans were the worst sufferers.

Even as the global media turned their focus to developments in West Asia and North Africa, people across the world were a bit puzzled when, after 9/11, President George Bush included North Korea in the ‘Axis of Evil’. Many commentators then questioned the way Bush declared North Korea –– along with Iran and Iraq –– as a rogue state when, apparently, there was no scope for heightening tension in this region. Bush intended to send a message to China as it is considered as North Korea’s lone patron in the world. The US move to prevent North Korea from becoming a nuclear power backfired as it provided the leadership of this obscure and isolated Communist country an opportunity to whip up passions against Washington. It grew further after Kim Jong-un took over the reins in early 2012, following the death of his father Kim Jong-il. In hindsight, Bush’s move was a big miscalculation.

Unlike the West Asian theatre, North Korea is very close to the United States –– at least to its northern state of Alaska. In a way, after the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1961, this is the nearest flashpoint for the US. True, Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his recent visit to the United States, appeared a bit tough towards its old and trusted ally in Pyongyang, yet this gesture does not allow President Trump to do a Syria or Afghanistan in Korea. In fact, Syria was bombed when Xi was in the United States. So a day after dropping of the “Mother of all Bombs” in Afghanistan, the Chinese Foreign Minister warned that tension over North Korea had to be stopped from reaching an “irreversible and unmanageable stage”, and added that nobody would emerge victorious. Russia, which is also in the vicinity, and has much at stake in the region, called for ‘restraint’ and warned against ‘provocative steps’.  

What is also noticeable is the rise in anti-American sentiments in the Philippines. Instead of distancing itself from China, after the latter’s muscle-flexing in the South China Sea, the new Filipino President, Rodrigo Duterte, had in 2016 used expletives against the then US President, Barack Obama, forcing the latter to cancel his meeting. Curiously, the first, second and third economic powers of the world –– besides South Korea, which is not far behind –– are locked in a conflict without a frontier in the East. The exception is the 248-kilometre-long 38th Parallel North latitudinal line separating the two Koreas.

NOT SO FAR OFF

Unlike the West Asian theatre, North Korea is very close to the United States –– at least to its northern state of Alaska. In a way, after the Cuban Missile crisis of 1961, this is the nearest flashpoint for the US.

The author is a senior journalist based in Patna.