37 replies to this topic

[offworlder]

so yeah this might seem like a duh thing,
but,
it seems a first to me...

' North Korea has accused the United States of using military drills in South Korea as a launch pad for a nuclear war and has scrapped the armistice with Washington that ended hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea, which has one major ally, neighboring China, threatens the United States and its "puppet," South Korea, on an almost daily basis.
"Since the United States is about to ignite a nuclear war, we will be exercising our right to preemptive nuclear attack against the headquarters of the aggressor in order to protect our supreme interest," the North's foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency. '

http://www.reuters.c...E9260BR20130307

Yeah they threat every month; but seems to me, is this the first time any country has actually, I mean can you IMAGINE, a country in th e modern age threatening a pre emptive nuclear strike? Countries just don't talk like that in the modern era; when did the US or Soviets ever actually do that in the sixties and seventies since the Cuba crisis of 1961?

[Nonny]

offworlder, on 07 March 2013 - 12:03 PM, said:

Countries just don't talk like that in the modern era....

North Korea hardly counts as modern.  The tendency of their leaders to blow quite this hard is more than a little bit annoying.

[Mikoto]

From what I understand it's propaganda to it's own people. Keeping them loyal and in line by creating an "Us VS the rest of the world/America" mindset. I watched a documentary and N Koreans are practically taught from birth that the rest of the world is the enemy to be feared and hated.

[Nonny]

Mikoto, on 07 March 2013 - 12:21 PM, said:

From what I understand it's propaganda to it's own people. Keeping them loyal and in line by creating an "Us VS the rest of the world/America" mindset. I watched a documentary and N Koreans are practically taught from birth that the rest of the world is the enemy to be feared and hated.

That's pretty much the only context that anything they say makes sense at all.  And how sad for the people.

[FnlPrblm]

BBC World News had a short quip (as part of their larger, main story) today about N.K. news having run a story that they had nuked Manhattan (showing brief visual accounts of destruction) [beings that part of the story was only about 10 seconds in length and the visual aspect was about 3 of Manhattan, I'm not sure what kind of footage they created.]

[Darkside_1]

^^ Simulated footage created by 'borrowed' Chinese technology maybe?

[Orpheus]

My guess would be a video game or a movie. After all, they'd never convince the larger world, and their own people wouldn't have access to the source.

There have been recent cases where *Western* media has presented video game footage as "real combat".

"ITV apologises after video game footage used in documentary" [UK]

"Danish TV news report mistakenly uses video game screenshot for Syria story [Denmark]

Edited by Orpheus, 01 April 2013 - 09:28 PM.
added examples

[Mikoto]

How much of a threat is North Korea anyway? There's been a lot of sabre-rattling this week.

[offworlder]

Mikoto, on 02 April 2013 - 01:05 PM, said:

How much of a threat is North Korea anyway? There's been a lot of sabre-rattling this week.

.........................
there is a new piece on several of th e press yesterday, pick U fave site, Intel expert says we should worry a bit more than we are?

I wonder though, about this what if: North is aware of US penchant for apropos equal level response, not 'nuke the planet from offsite' as the movies > so what if they think, if it's even possible yet for them, if they hit Guam and Kauai, expecting we will do equal level only, so like we'd hit Woonsan or whatever the hell city on their east coast, limited level, how many pop are ours, and their city, say a million total ea.? and they care only bout their lifestyles not their own people, they freaked when the new sanctions hit their buying of lux goods N lifestyles, comforts, right?

so we suffer the loss of folk, and the guilt bout hitting their 'innocent' people not the leading clans who are mostly protected> so we have a double suffer, and they carenot one whit for their loss of Woonsan folk or whatever> so they get a big trump on us?
Now,
I'm not saying this could even be; OR that US would necessarily react that way> but what if> ar e they scenario-ing this to be this way? then they half-win, and we double suffer, and they rant and laugh and parade and posture, oh they won a battle over the evil Satan, U.S. - right?

[RJDiogenes]

If North Korea nuked anybody, their government would cease to exist quickly.  We wouldn't nuke them back, but we would move in and topple them and take out their ability to strike again.

[DarthMarley]

Proliferation concerns seem to be the most obvious credible threat.
The Syrian reactor that was bombed a while back reportedly had Nork technicians on site.

There comes a time when a neighbor must be dealt with, even a distant one if they make enough noise.

[Mikoto]

Most articles I read indicate that North Korea is decades behind us. The reactor they're restarting is decades old from the 60's and they lack the ability to make a nuke small enough to put it on a missile.

That any US sub patrolling the area could take them out easily. But it's just what I read.

[DarthMarley]

But they were close to givingthe tech to Syria. What if Libya is next, or Egypt, or New Zealand?
The horrors!

[QueenTiye]

I do fear proliferation.  And I am very unhappy about this latest nonsense with NK.

QT

[DarthMarley]

Yet, the crisis makes me want to dig up the Team America DVD.

[Godeskian]

RJDiogenes, on 02 April 2013 - 06:20 PM, said:

If North Korea nuked anybody, their government would cease to exist quickly.  We wouldn't nuke them back, but we would move in and topple them and take out their ability to strike again.

Maybe, but it wouldn't be much comfort to those who had been nuked. NK probably can't reach continental US, but South Korea? Japan? Those it could quite possibly reach.

[BklnScott]

North Korea is saber rattling for domestic political reasons.  They're not gonna nuke anybody but if they ever did, I think China would take them out immediately.

[Mikoto]

China? Aren't they North Korea's ally?

[DarthMarley]

Mikoto, on 04 April 2013 - 07:34 PM, said:

China? Aren't they North Korea's ally?

NK is China's client state. China must prop up NK to avoid millions of starving refugees from becoming China's humanitarian problem.
While China might enjoy NK aggression being a thorn in the side of the western powers, it isn't worth war.

But again, NK striking militarily isn't the only harm of concern. Proliferation, counterfeiting, and narc o-trafficing are their bread and butter.

[BklnScott]

If China was forced to choose between its emergence as a global superpower and a troublesome client state bent on starting a suicidal war, can there be any doubt they would choose the world?  

In recent years china has gone from blocking sanctions (using its veto on the security council) to letting them happen to finally co-sponsoring the sanctions with the US.  Their trajectory is clear. Their patience with the house of Kim is growing as thin as everyone else's..  

Darth's point about the refugees is well taken but in a scenario where that is going to happen regardless - in a situation where NK has already made a preemptive strike with WMDs - I think China would opt to take direct and massive action against them rather than sit by while the US does so.  It's their sphere of influence and they will defend it by whatever means necessary. Letting the US go to war on their border in 2013 is unthinkable for them.