THAAD – The American white lie

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the US Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. [Photo/Agencies]?

The Americans have successfully coerced the South Koreans to deploy the THAAD missile system in South Korea against the latter’s objection and protests from China and Russia. The deployment of THAAD increases the risk of war to all the parties concerned except the Americans. Every one of these countries also stands to lose except the Americans. THAAD’s presence in South Korea only infuriates the North Koreans as well as China and Russia. These countries would now come within the range of American short range missile attacks and the radar coverage to monitor missile and aircraft movements deep inside North Korea, China and Russia. How can it be safer and for peace when these countries would feel threatened and no longer trust the American’s intent and would review all their agreements with the Americans in view of this new threat?

To the South Koreans, they have everything to lose and nothing to gain. The threat of a North Korean attack is an American White Lie that has been pounded daily for the last six decades by the Americans to justify the American military presence in South Korea. The North Koreans would never attack the South as it would mean committing nationwide suicide for all the North Koreans. The overwhelming superiority of the American military power could see to the destruction of the whole of North Korea within hours without the need to send in a single American soldier into North Korea. This kind of military superiority of the Americans is enough deterrence to keep any country from attacking South Korea or starting a war against the Americans or their allies. There is thus no threat of a North Korean invasion of the South but an American White Lie.

The pathetic thing is that because of this White Lie, the hapless South Koreans would forever be a semi colony of the American Empire. The threat to South Korean independence is the American military presence. And not only that, the South Koreans would have to pay billions for this THAAD system that they did not want, did not ask for it, did not want to pay for it, and the system does not serve their national and security interests but the interests of the American Empire. The South Koreans simply have to go along and pay for it, to live with the American White Lie, while the Americans maintain full operational control of the THAAD system. They would not trust the South Koreans with this technology.

This THAAD presence in South Korea would change the status quo in East Asia. The THAAD missile system is really the peripheral early warning system or part of the American's Balistic Missile Early Warning system in the defense of the American homeland. It is the most forward early warning system similar to a parallel system in Northern America to detect Russian aircraft and missiles in the early stages of approach towards homeland America. It has little to do with the defense of South Korea. The close proximity between North and South Korea would render the THAAD completely impractical and useless. And the South Koreans are deceived to pay for the defense of the American homeland, exposing themselves as priority target in the event of war.

China and Russia would be forced to adopt the same tough stand like the Americans did when the Russians were deploying missiles in Cuba in the 1960s. Would China and Russia mount a naval blockade of South Korea to prevent the Americans from bringing in this offensive military system? Should they decide to do so, the world would be pushed to the brink of a nuclear war between the Americans on one side and the Chinese and the Russians on the other and South Korea becoming the battle field and the South Koreans as the sacrificial war collateral.

The author is a political observer from Singapore.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and don't represent views of China Daily website.