According to Washington, the Cold War officially ended in the early nineties, but is that accurate? Few would argue that the Korean War was not a theater of the much larger conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Tensions were high around the world as the Sino-Soviet backed North and the Western-allied South went after each other in a war that still technically goes on to this day.
The talks going on in Korea are encouraging, but who are the real players? Do the two Koreas have anything to offer? Are they truly masters of their own destiny or are they really only pawns in a much larger game, the same one that began in the early fifties?
China still wants a buffer between her and America's ally on the peninsula and America wants to keep as much of a presence in the Far east as possible, given China's rising status. Until the two Koreas have the courage to chart their own course, without bowing to pressure from Washington and Beijing, the scar that divides the Korean people along the 38th parallel will never heal.
http://discussion.theguardian.com/comment-permalink/31853865
