The latest North Korean drama...

[Kadagar_AV]

Strange we havent got a thread on it yet. Sharpen up guys!!

From my perspective just sabre rattling, but the latest news say an attack is imminent...

I have a hard time believing it will come to much. NK sure must understand that they will be the fly to the fly swatter if it ever came to war. YES USA struggles in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the type of conventional army and doctrines NK have is EXACTLY what the US armed forces is trained and equipped to handle extremely proficiently.

[Major Robert Dump]

I swear to effing god if I resign to inactive and then move to the Marianas, and that crazy effer attacks Guam or the CNMI, well won't that be a fitting end for me, especially if I get recalled.

[Major Robert Dump]

I think China and Russia may disagree with your strategy.

They have made it fairly clear that they take NKs side even when NK is in the wrong.

On one hand, China holds a lot of US debt and can hold that over the Presidents head.

On the other hand, you occasionally hear about a person being murdered, and it turns out they were killed by someone who owed them money... catch my drift? One of the easiest ways for the US to eliminate its deficit is to eliminate the loan. BOOYAH

Just not in Guam pls KTHNX

[Tellos Athenaios]

From a foreign policy perspective the safe thing to do is to kick the can down the road some more: do what we're already doing and let someone else clean up the mess. Kinda like Vietnam.

[Papewaio]

China is the designated driver on this, so let them look after their power drunk friend.

Of course if China does flex it's military might to remove Kim 3.0 then they will probably either annex the country or bankrupt South Korea by returning to sender.

[Montmorency]

or bankrupt South Korea by returning to sender.

On the other hand, South Korea's power might wax at the expense of Chinese exports, as northern Korea becomes an industrial powerhouse of labor most cheap, fueled by the direct investment of a rich nation. Of course, that wouldn't last forever, but the windfall might well pay off the costs of rapid integration and development - and again, certainly to China's disadvantage.

So

From a foreign policy perspective the safe thing to do is to kick the can down the road some more

[Fragony]

Doubt China is very happy with the glorious puppet of the military. Nothing is going to happen, China doesn't want US soldiers at their borders and vica versa for South-Korea, North-Korea is a buffer, nothing more.

[Ronin]

yes "imminent"...they are just looking for a big enough slingshot to launch those bombs....hold please.

[Sarmatian]

Doubt China is very happy with the glorious puppet of the military. Nothing is going to happen, China doesn't want US soldiers at their borders and vica versa for South-Korea, North-Korea is a buffer, nothing more.

I believe this is a crux of the issue and the reason why China tolerates NK.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

The NK leaders, father and son, have been pursuing a rational policy that will work to enhance and maintain their power base. Attempts to re-unify by NK will result in either military failure or economic absorption. Neither condition leaves the current leader in power.

On the other hand, inculcating a maintaining a state of mild paranoia with a foreign enemy as the key focus of mistrust, coupled with a limited caloric intake and a limited access to outside information, leaves the people as predisposed to acquiesce to a Stalinist cult of personality as much as it is possible to be. All limitations can be blamed on foreign influence, any successes can be attributed to the leader, and little or no independent information circulates to counter this.

Acquiring nukes is a wholly rational choice, since once you have credible membership in that club the larger powers treat you differently. They always knew they could squash you but didn't want to pay the price. Now, you can REALLY make them hurt as they inundate you, so they won't want to do so at all. This lets you be aggressive, pushing for concessions etc. (which you play internally as success because you the leader are so tough) from the other powers who aren't willing to pay the blood price to fight you. You won't get anything huge, since you won't give up your trump card to get the huge concession, but you can get something to improve things and get the credit. Then repeat as needed every few years.

A wholly rational approach.

[Strike For The South]

I won't be worried until the South Koreans are.

Right now, they are not.

So I am not

[Major Robert Dump]

I won't be worried until the South Koreans are.

Right now, they are not.

So I am not

But he is going to strike Austin didn't you hear??

[gaelic cowboy]

I won't be worried until the South Koreans are.

Right now, they are not.

So I am not

But he is going to strike Austin didn't you hear??

nay bother lads Iron Mans got this

[gaelic cowboy]

The South Koreans are pretty worried. The North is doing everything you would expect a suicidal tiny little dicatorship to do in preparation for some gotterdamerung shit.

USA/South Korea would need to take the bait after some kind ill thought nuclear chess move by the North Koreas.

The USA may have to actually ignore some kind of token strike by NK (to ensure it doesnt escalate)

[Major Robert Dump]

I seem to recall a few token strike have already been ignored. I can think of some people on an island who got artilleried and some sailors on an SK ship that went down with the vessel who might disagree, were they alive. Any other two countries would have already gone to war over this

[Strike For The South]

But he is going to strike Austin didn't you hear??

I don't care about Austin

I miss you

Come back to me

:(

[Sarmatian]

The South Koreans are pretty worried. The North is doing everything you would expect a suicidal tiny little dicatorship to do in preparation for some gotterdamerung shit.

I don't believe they are that crazy. The deal with the nuclear weapons is that they're only useful if you don't use them, for a country like NK. If they do use them, they lose their benefit in the first place.

The only drawback is that the hell on earth that NK is will continue to exist.

[Husar]

It's a cry for help.
Kim Jong Un wanted Obama to call him but Obama didn't, now he's trying other ways to get attention.

If the whole world weren't so hostile towards poor Kim Jong Un, we wouldn't be where we are now.
Everybody only ever listens to the strong ones, so naturally he's trying to look strong.
Add to this that he has to please his generals and we all know that generals want to look strong, threaten and bomb.

[HoreTore]

I give the movie a 3 so far.

Decent acting, but the special effects are awful.