Nowhere Man

Regarding the North Korean situation, Mr. Ban is in a unique position to put the weight of the UN (the formerly relevant version) behind combating the dangerous brinkmanship of North Korea. Instead, he acts just like an inept and indecisive bureaucrat. The problem isn't necessarily him as a person or his intellectual capability, it's one of training. The South Korean government typically is gridlocked with indecision or worse take a Neville Chamberlain-esque route, especially when it comes to North Korea. The "Sunshine Policy" of Kim Dae-Jung and it's mild continuation by late President Roh were examples of South Korea's unwillingness to confront difficult situations with courage and leadership. The South Korean "system" of dealing with North Korea has typically been plenty of carrots, but no stick. Mr. Ban is a product of a system of one-sided negotiation and appeasement. If Mr. Ban couldn't push for a stronger South Korean reaction against the evil that is Kim Jong-Il's Norks, then it would be foolish to even hope that he would be effective as a leader of the United Nations. If he was irrelevant even within his own government, his irrelevance is only magnified when he is implored to lead a multi-national organization of disparate interests and ambitions. I hope that Mr. Ban grows some teeth and begins to stop being the "playing-it-safe" bureaucrat who walks between the raindrops to a man of strength, willing to take on not only the ever-increasing North Korean threat but the wide range of continual international challenges. Where, for example is a statement condemning the election-related violence in Iran?