North Korea ?? Your thougjts

[PatrickEwing]

6 hours ago, Fosgate said:

My thoughts:

First off it is not a choice of if we go to war with North Korea. We already are, we (The UN) have been at an agreed cease fire for decades now. Fat Kim has been developing nukes now for 10 years and with each failure comes new knowledge all while we have been protesting on deaf ears. That little prick has no intention of backing down once he has them and he will hold S. Korea in one hand with while yielding a nuke in the other like a hostage taker he is. In order to do so he will need to successfully launch and detonate one on either Japan or the U.S. Mainland. NK within the last couple years hit a SK island with an ARTY Barrage or did everyone forget that? Also if he isn't crazy enough to toss a Nuke at the U.S. the Iranians are. This guys been on the job a whole 5 years and with any luck will not live to see another 5. China wants the trade and resources with NK but really does not want it starting chit with the U.S. (The biggest buyer of Chinese goods and debtor to China). China simply cannot afford a war with the U.S. and wants both sides to cool it. China could however, tolerate a surgical strike, severing the NK leadership so long as the 150k troops it recently moved up near it's border went in an stabilized the country while it installs it's own communist government.

 

Russia veto'd the UN proposal to scold NK possibly because of old relations as they were with the NK during the war and simply hates the UN and NATO voting for it. Though Russia really has not showed their hand, they recently flew a flight of bombers near the Alaskan coast. Though they have does this before the timing is impeccable. I don't think the issue in NK is so much an issue for them as Syria and Ukraine though. Their actions in NK I feel are dependent on actions in their other two combat theaters. Opening up a conflict with the U.N. while those are going on strategically would be unwise as it would immediately be fighting wars on multiple fronts along her borders.

There are these and many more ideas that I'm sure have already gone through the "Warrior Munk" former Marine Corps General James "Mad Dog" Mattis  and now currently Secretary of War..I mean State. The guy is hands down the most capable General the U.S. has had for a very long time and a brilliant tactician. One thing is for certain, the moves the U.S. are going to make in the coming moths are not going to be for the world to know or predict as the play book has been in the past. Right now they are keeping them guessing feeding him every opportunity to back out but at the same time Mattis is preparing "To kill everyone in the room." He will not make the error MacArthur did in Korea. 

Yikes man. I have no doubt that fat bag of lard Kim will do or wish to do something irrational but I think we should slow down on the rest of the world. I don't find the Iranians, Russians or Chinese to be so suicidal, or disinterested in catastrophe, as you've portrayed. Politics and gamesmanship are one thing or another. Nuclear holocaust is quite another. 

[Fosgate]

2 minutes ago, PatrickEwing said:

Yikes man. I have no doubt that fat bag of lard Kim will do or wish to do something irrational but I think we should slow down on the rest of the world. I don't find the Iranians, Russians or Chinese to be so suicidal, or disinterested in catastrophe, as you've portrayed. Politics and gamesmanship are one thing or another. Nuclear holocaust is quite another. 

So if you have no doubt why would you wait.  Wait until they actually successfully create a tactical nuclear delivery device or just smuggle one into a city and detonate it? Then we just sit there scratching our heads in the radioactive fallout asking how we could have prevented this. NK is not the cold war where there were a lot of maybes. Right now we have the opportunity and we might not have a better one. Missile defense screen is on it's way and will take a month or two to setup but that defense screen will not make China happy to have in their back yard. 

[PatrickEwing]

1 hour ago, Fosgate said:

So if you have no doubt why would you wait.  Wait until they actually successfully create a tactical nuclear delivery device or just smuggle one into a city and detonate it? Then we just sit there scratching our heads in the radioactive fallout asking how we could have prevented this. NK is not the cold war where there were a lot of maybes. Right now we have the opportunity and we might not have a better one. Missile defense screen is on it's way and will take a month or two to setup but that defense screen will not make China happy to have in their back yard. 

Because my greater point centered around those other nations. And even Kim realizes the necessity of China. China will act if necessary. Do I fully disregard an irrational act by Kim? No. But would I welcome a preemptive unilateral act between now and then? No way. 

I don't wish to see what happens if he feels his back is to the wall. But I fear far more what will happen if he's pushed there prematurely. 

[PatrickEwing]

And if anything is in China's backyard, then China knows the stakes. 

[Morientes50]

As complex as this issue seems on the surface...

I think its far more complex underneath, especially when it comes to China.

They do NOT want a western democracy on their border (they already feel encircled). They care about preserving their communist party over everything else. Remember they fought a war to preserve the communist north of Korea.

Many are educated to be proud of stopping the yanks (even though 900,000 Chinese died). So regime change would be a big embarrassment for the CCP.

The Chinese prefer to save face than almost anything else.

[Morientes50]

On ‎4‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 11:07 AM, El Presidente said:

Apologies. 

I meant there have been no problems with India ever since China decided that Marxism was total crap and what it really wanted was to be a big time capitalist superpower without the pesky burden of democracy. 

But Chinese students are still educated to think Marxism is wonderful. I have students here (I live in China) that are convinced that the economic progress is a form of Marxism (part of a gradual plan). They honestly believe that China has "Marxism with Chinese characteristics". I tell my friends to translate this phase into "capitalism".

Edited April 19, 2017 by Morientes50
not clear

[MIKA27]

Slightly off the topic of War but where North Korea is mentioned, Olympian Declares That North Korea Is One Of The Few Countries That Has Tackled Obesity

James Cracknell is a British athlete and two-time gold medal Olympian. But now he has his sights set on politics. His pet issue? Tackling obesity. But wait until you hear what he believes are model countries for battling the obesity epidemic.

Spit take warning: You may want to slowly put any hot beverages like your coffee or tea down before you watch this video.

 

Yes, you heard that right. Cracknell told Sky News that he believes Cuba and North Korea are shining examples of countries that have tackled the obesity problem.

"If you think of the two countries in the world who've got a handle on obesity, what do you think they are, which two countries?" Cracknell asked a Sky News presenter.

"I'm stumped there, I don't know," the presenter said.

"North Korea and Cuba," Cracknell said proudly.

The presenters all take a moment to wait for the punchline or something and then kind of politely agree before realising that he's serious. Cracknell insists that these dictatorial regimes influence "behavioural change".

"Yeah, but people are starving in North Korea, aren't they. They're not obese because they haven't got any food," another presenter chimes in, trying to inject some sanity into the conversation.

"Exactly," Cracknell says, responding with what should have been the end of it before continuing on. "Well, there's sanctions and everything else, but, well, the example is that it's behavioural change."

Yes, behavioural change. Like in the case of North Korea, where money is being pumped into a standing army of one million troops and developing nuclear weapons instead of providing food for its people. Behavioural change like that.

 

[PigFish]

Oh yes, I can see his point. Fatty Kim is the image of clean living and health, good taste and a sound mind!!! -LOL Whatever this guy is brewing in this tofu tea, he should replace with sugar!

-the Pig

[RDBM]

He's definitely been out in the sun too long !

[Darkenskies]

According to some news outlets, NK just threatened to sink the US Carrier Carl Vinson.  Whether they make that attempt or not, just the threat itself could be viewed as a provocation.  I just can't believe that NK thinks attacking a US Carrier would not basically start an all out war.  

Again,  can't believe everything you hear.  What we read and hear in the media many times is meant to stir our emotions and mislead us.  BUT Damn, to threaten sinking an aircraft carrier is pretty ballsy.  

[rhcolbert]

Starvation does help with obesity I guess. No type 2 diabetics there.  ?

[Zigatoh]

3 hours ago, rhcolbert said:

Starvation does help with obesity I guess. No type 2 diabetics there.  ?

Off topic but not being obese doesn't mean no type 2 diabetes -

https://chriskresser.com/think-skinny-people-dont-get-type-2-diabetes-think-again/

I'm guessing high levels of ongoing stress are quite likely in NK!