North Korea Rockets 'Ready To Hit US Bases'

[AbramIsaac]

Tbh I think NKs alliance with China is helping them a lot right now. If they were to attack America I don't think China would stand by them. America would respond and China doesn't want it with them.. Yet.

So for now at least NK won't do anything.

Exactly.

That's why it doesn't make sense for North Korea to do anything, and that's also why we haven't made a preemptive strike.

[Blu]

That's not how it works, thank god.

It might sound like a great idea, until the guy behind that button is someone that doesn't agree with you. At least, that's the truth in theory. In practice, we have done such things in the past, and continue to do so in the war on terror. This guy isn't what you would call a traditional terrorist though, he's the leader of another country.

The problem with carrying out an assassination is what the blowback would be. It would build pressure against us from China, Russia, and Iran. It would also leave a power vacuum, that would likely be filled by someone in the North Korean military. The problem would not be solved, it would only be made worse.

What we have to do is continue this pissing contest, and wait for someone to make a move. We minimize the damage, and then respond with a crippling amount of force. That's the only way to proceed.

So you believe lives will be lost? And we have no other options but to let us be attacked, only to respond back with a larger blow?

Do you think that would work, honestly?

[SliK]

How does China benefit from their alliance with NK?

Did they just want to stop a Korean Vietnam or was it more about having American troops stationed in Korea if America were to help SK defeat the north?

I admit I am a little ignorant on Asian politics, until this decade I really couldn't have given a shit about Asia.

[SliK]

That's not how it works, thank god.

It might sound like a great idea, until the guy behind that button is someone that doesn't agree with you. At least, that's the truth in theory. In practice, we have done such things in the past, and continue to do so in the war on terror. This guy isn't what you would call a traditional terrorist though, he's the leader of another country.

The problem with carrying out an assassination is what the blowback would be. It would build pressure against us from China, Russia, and Iran. It would also leave a power vacuum, that would likely be filled by someone in the North Korean military. The problem would not be solved, it would only be made worse.

What we have to do is continue this pissing contest, and wait for someone to make a move. We minimize the damage, and then respond with a crippling amount of force. That's the only way to proceed.

So you believe lives will be lost? And we have no other options but to let us be attacked, only to respond back with a larger blow?

Do you think that would work, honestly?

It worked pretty well in WW2.

[Blu]

I'm interested to know how this all started. I only remember Hage posting a topic a few weeks back.

It worked pretty well in WW2.

Yeah, but that was a full-on nuke. If America dropped a nuke on NK to try to stop the war, we'd get bombarded with missiles.

NK is pretty serious about hurting America. I'm sure if we returned a bombing after they hit us first, they'd retaliate and an all-out nuclear war would unfold.

[SliK]

I wouldn't be surprised if America could very easily disable NK as a threat.
They ripped through Baghdad like a hot knife through butter and that was them being reserved to minimize casualties.

NK aren't wealthy and they certainly don't have a huge supply of WMDs. There is no way China would support them, but America would get the help of UK and Australia. There isn't much NK could do, it's not like they'd have 1,000 nukes sitting on hand.

[AbramIsaac]

I'm interested to know how this all started. I only remember Hage posting a topic a few weeks back.

It worked pretty well in WW2.

Yeah, but that was a full-on nuke. If America dropped a nuke on NK to try to stop the war, we'd get bombarded with missiles.

NK is pretty serious about hurting America. I'm sure if we returned a bombing after they hit us first, they'd retaliate and an all-out nuclear war would unfold.

We wouldn't get bombarded with missiles. They don't even have the capability by most estimations to launch a full on offensive on the United States on either coast. Their technology might be able to do it, but not well enough to be depended upon. Their still in development stages, so their arsenal isn't even known yet.

We wouldn't use nukes anyway, that's not what we do anymore. The nuclear fallout would affect everyone else in the area, including our allies. We would use more traditional bombs, and they would be more than sufficient to handle their military targets.

The point is that things are different now than they were then. We have a significant military advantage over every other nation on the planet, and we definitely have one over on North Korea. Beyond that, we have strategic advantages. Unlike WW2, we are actually all over the Pacific now. We would be able to mobilize and mount an offensive before their missiles even left the ground.

The point isn't that they have to strike, it's that they have to attempt to. Otherwise, we're looking at increased tension with their allies for making an "unprovoked" attack on North Korea.

[SliK]

Lol they can't even hit Australia.

Fuck you NK! Your leader looks like a yellow michellen man with weird hair!

[the real slim shady]

Could it deliver a nuclear payload though? An effective one?

[the real slim shady]

If they have had to increase fuel capacity then something must have been used as a comprimise. Even if it can deliver a nuclear payload, do they have the technology for that now? Dont go into the whole 'they made an earthquake with a bomb' stuff either, making a bomb or getting it from someone else does not mean they are able to replicate that into other types of missile, or that they have the resources to.

[AbramIsaac]

In what universe does China go to war with the US over North Korea? that would only end nuclear war. The chinese aren't fools like the North Koreans, China only wants to preserve the status quo but if it comes to war they WILL abandon North Korea.

I agree that China wouldn't likely go to war with the United States for North Korea. Especially if North Korea struck first. What would happen, however, is a little more complicated.

In the scenario that the United States attacked first, China would most likely continue to support North Korea in a political and economic capacity. This would, in theory, allow them to hold out for longer in a war. Still, the dominance of the United States over them would be so swift and complete that it wouldn't really matter. That phase of the issue wouldn't matter much either way.

The long-term effects would be more drastic though. In a United States "first strike" situation, it would set a precedent in the minds of those that already don't like us. This would create a greater division between us, and a stronger alliance between those that feel threatened. Nations like North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran (or even Pakistan) would be more likely to form and consolidate their efforts in order to prepare for the event that the United States struck again.

Beyond that, the support from the rest of the international community would be less than enthusiastic. Our future warnings about other nations would be taken with a grain of salt, and our efforts to protect ourselves and others would be examined with greater scrutiny. Our relationship with China would worsen, and since our economy depends on them to buy debt from us, our economy would become less stable than it already is.

Everything about the United States striking first is a bad move. The only thing that isn't bad about it is the hope that it would avert an attack, but a preemptive strike would most likely end up in more lives lost in the long run anyway. They might be able to attack a base or two, but a nuclear strike isn't likely, so the damage is relatively minimal.

Kim Jung Un might be a little crazy, but he better hope for his sake that he's not stupid enough to try to actually launch an offensive.

[AbramIsaac]

I'm not sure how much further this little pissing contest can go.

North Korea will either have to make a move soon, or back down. Their rhetoric is about as hostile as it can get as it is.

[SliK]

Kinda ontopic
http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-is-thought-to-be-sitting-on-6-trillion-worth-of-rare-earth-metals-2012-8

lol