North Korea...

I picture North Korea like a teen punk wanna be that just got a 22 pistol, recklessly taunting a guy with an Uzi and cache of weapons.

NK has very little going for it. A lot of their trade is illicit.

I wish we would just close the noose each time they make these hysterical threats: "WE ARE TEARING UP THE 1953 TRUCE!!! WE ARE ON RED ALERT!!!" We just do stuff like fly B2s, but a little more. Some of the nations friendly to us do some trade with NK...get them to stop it. It would be a lot easier if China would just close their border for a couple of weeks, but maybe getting other countries to stop trade while more complicated would stop what little trade NK has would hurt enough they would stop this childish game of chicken.

NK thinks sabre rattling gets them concessions, aid...if it starts to isolate them enough the few elite start to suffer, it will backfire.

 

Nothing like a war to reset things...

 

I like this article > Seven ways to get serious with North Korea; Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

 

North Korea is being whiny because they want more money and aid. The US does use its pressure to force other countries to not become nuclear. I agree. However, if leader of a poor nation and want a handout from the states what can you do? You can ask, and the US will give. A lot of money, but not enough to fuel a dictatorship with nothing going for it. So you want more, they say no. If you are nuclear, then the US and the reset of the world is more likely to baby you because now instead of being some whiny punk teenager as someone above put it, you are now a whiny punk teenager with the capability of acting on your aggression and impulse driven reactions.

Just like when criminals take hostages. NK is taking everyone within a thousand miles hostage of a pre-emptive nuclear strike. Now they open the stage for talks which will probably get them more money, more food, more medicine, and so on.

 

If we bombed them forward to the Stone Age, how much would it improve their day to day living conditions?

I participated in Foal Eagle a few years back.
That place scares the CRAP out of me.

North Korea:
Nuclear capable (kinda)...
Rich Southern neighbor that they're currently at war with under a six decade cease fire....
ABSOLUTELY nothing to lose....
Led by a 20-something, mentally unstable, spoiled character with questionable lineage.....

South Korea:
Garrisoned by somewhere near 35,000 US troops (think: speed bump!)...
Protected by a country that's itching for an excuse to spend even more money than they are at present....

Standing By.....

 

Yes, the Deranged Leader he is, but his elite is doing well.

If the NK elite start to suffer hardships and/or China cuts trade, it will have an effect.

 

How much would it cost to steer a meteor like the one Russia experienced, onto little Kim's house....... with him in it!

 

Hey American guys... you have Chuck Norris, don't you ?

 

Don't think there is a hole deep enough for him to hide!

 

That depends on the mass of the meteor....

 

One would hope Kim Jong-Un had more sense than his father. It seems he is crazy as a lark.

I recall Mikhail Gorbachev became good friends with Ronald Regan which led to the taking down of the Iron Curtain. From what I understand is Mikhail never realized how large and powerful the American economic system was until he visited Washington DC and took a helicopter ride near the capital. Within his own country was food shortages. buying a car one waited 14 years. When he saw how large the homes were in the DC burbs and well stocked the super market shelves were he started to believe the KGB reports on American prosperity.It was at that moment history changed for Russia. Perhaps one day N Korea may have that same moment of truth.

Lets hope that the issues between North Korea and the USA can be resolved with diplomacy.

 

Like The Mouse That Roared.

 

South Korea should purchase the Iron Dome. Can't hurt.

What Lim wants he will never have. He is better off just making peace and starting the process of rebuilding his country.

I'm surprised the USA lets him get away with so much. This guy has been exporting weapons since th 80's to our unfriends. That is why he fears we will attack him.

 

Iron Dome is nearly worthless against massive conventional artillery attacks. Conventional artillery is one of NK's primary weapons. It's OK against a bunch of 1/2 arsed terrorists that might pop off a rocket every hour or two but NK has thousands of artillery cannons.

 

Then in that case what can you do but prepare for the inevetable. California I believe is 6,000 miles away from Korea so plenty of time to shoot there stuff down. S Korea well that is very close.

 

If Kim goes to an all out war I'm sure global stock markets will decline 30-50 %

S Korea and USA will respond.

Will China defend N Korea and attack the USA.

What if Japan gets attacked.

How will trade be impacted.

Will there be product shortages.

Global markets will slide into recession.

Kim is to young and uneducated to understand

 

Which leads to the sobering possibility that NK may be a huge problem no matter what we do. If we appease, Kim Jung Un keeps that region tense and diverts a lot of resources - if we take a stand, we have conflict.

You can bet the CIA psychological profile on Kim Jung Un is one of the most interesting profiles on a head of state since they started this on WWII...we were so concerned what Hitler might do, our intelligence initiated a project to interviews anyone with insight on Der Fuhrer's twisted mind. The good news, is they were spot on on how he would behave on the end game - fight to the bitter end, hide, commit suicide. So hopefully we know enough about Kim Jung Un to avoid conflict - if that is possible.

What I'd suggest: Sternly tell China that we will do something, get them worried 20+ Million refugees will be on their border - their worst fear. China counter proposes to shut off their border long enough the NK regime gets their bluff called and starts to behave....if not Kim Jung Un himself, then his power base - even a coupe.