Macroscope | China should do to North Korea what the US did to Grenada — invade
A half starved North Korean army is unlikely to prove much resistance to modern Chinese forces. Let’s clear out the odious people seeding a global conflict
The 3,000-metre runway of Point Salines Airport was wildly excessive for the twin-turboprop that dropped me on the sleepy island of Grenada in 1986. It was sleepy then - but just 30 months earlier it had been invaded by an American and Caribbean-led coalition.
The airport was impressive – built for Russian and Cuban supply aircraft. The big road built by the Americans to the capital of St Georges for the victorious visit of President Reagan was even more impressive – until I realised it was the only one of its kind on the island.
It was a good invasion, removing the revolutionary government that had taken power by force from the previous revolutionary prime minister, who had taken power by force, and who they had executed.
The invaders restored a stable political system, completely removing the global stress and tension caused by the bad guys, laid the ground for a good economy – and the invading powers we out within three months.
Grenada reverted back to its sleepy nature and is now a successful democracy and tourist-led economy. It is growing at around 3 per cent per annum and boasts a per capita income not far below China.
North Korea is the most risky geopolitical situation since the Cuban crisis could have sparked superpower war. For 25 years the North Korean situation has slowly warmed and bubbled, like a frog in a pot that doesn’t realise the water has warmed until it has boiled.