North Korean Entity tested a nuke...again

[pawelj]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-test-alarm-over-pyongyangs-claim-miniaturised-warhead-can-be-loaded-on-missile-a7233786.html

If it is actually miniaturized, NK needs to be ended ASAP.

[undercovergeek]

And no one will do anything...... Again

A strongly worded fist shake from Japan and China, shrug

[Pete Dero]

But the fact that the strong words come from the last country (China) that stood by them could mean something ?

[pawelj]

That is far more dangerous development than ISIS could ever be.

[Nefaro]

But the fact that the strong words come from the last country (China) that stood by them could mean something ?

NK has been off the Chinese leash for awhile now, from what I can gather.  Especially since these last couple Divine NK Dear Leaders have been purging their generals & advisors. 

Who knows what nuttery is going around in the paranoid upper echelons of Fantasyland now?  Seems like China has even been increasingly concerned in recent years.


I'll predict one thing.  When NK gets some kind of usable nukes, they'll once again proceed to blackmail other nations with posturing and threats.  We've buckled and given them free cargo whenever they started threatening, such as food shipments, as far back as the Clinton Administration IIRC.  For the same reason we (supposedly) don't pay ransoms to terrorists, it shouldn't have become a thing with NK.  But the precedent has long been set, now, and NK has learned that they can keep getting freebies via threats & posturing.  Like a spoiled kid always getting his way.

[GDS_Starfury]

its time for Gus Team Seal.   

[mirth]

Friday night...Star has s stiffy

[JasonPratt]

This does bring up the question of how to eliminate NK as a threat (however being a threat should be defined).

[pawelj]

First, assuming US has a leadership that actually has balls as well as brains, would be to make clear that China needs to eliminate this monstrosity they created, and in return when Korea is reunified under Seoul administration US will evacuate Korea. otherwise US will be forced to do it and China will reap the fallout, get it? FALLOUT! Doing nothing will get us to the point when US may be in range of Nork's nuke. Imagine if even one gets to detonate in the continents US city.

[JasonPratt]

I wonder how much positive PR China could spin for doing just that? -- leaning over to thwomp NK, maybe not even reuniting it with SK yet but even just putting it under a provisional government with vague statements offering hope for unification working out someday. (Saving that PR chip for later.)

They look like heroes, responsible for dealing with problems in the past they had a key hand in creating and making peace in the area, while also using the war as a tech demo and to show off to the world why messing with them later would be a bad idea (sort of like America in the two Gulf Wars).

[pawelj]

The concept of "Face" is very important in Chinese culture, but if the US really wanted to have them participate is the solution, it would be because more then just PR was at stake for China. Also would US want to hang the safety of their homeland on China acting in a constructive way? Plus I still have doubts that China would have the power to succeed if the NK decided to resist. They may have showed some advances in weaponry, but that alone does not make a effective military. Their record is rather poor to date. Ultimately US must prepare for the worst scenario of going in only with Korean allies.

[JasonPratt]

Agreed; we had better not rely on China to deal with the problem. I'm just spitballing about what they might be thinking of strategically, to make some hay out of the situation there.