North Korea Threats

If they did have oil, it would be another US state by now.

 

Is Iraq a state...they have oil, is Afghanistan a state because they precious metals?

 

No, but Iraq have Oil... that's good enough reason to bomb the crap out of it

 

The threat to the ruling regime in N. Korea is not from the outside, but from the inside. All messages and threatening actions coming from N. Korea are propaganda aimed at its own citizens. Development of nuclear weapons is a story which is the driving vision of the nation. It's N. Korea's version of the man on the moon. However, this development of nuclear weapons is still a threat to world security and could create a domino effect of further proliferation.

I don't see any other option than to admit N. Korea to the club of nuclear powers. International pressure was a given, but the outcome the U.S. demanded was not. Just because the U.S. has demanded that N. Korea disarms, doesn't mean the solution is a pre-emptive strike. The U.S. strategy changes as the reality changes. It's a fluid situation. The idea of MADD still holds water. All the U.S. can do is assure allies that the U.S. will continue to provide the umbrella of a response to any nuclear attack.

The regime of N. Korea is bat-sh*t crazy, but I'm not sure that the Korean border is much worse of a flash point than the border between Pakistan and India.

 

It occurs to me that, should the South Koreans be as worried about that border as the rest of the world seems to be, they would logically begin moving their capital city to a location further from potential "fallout". Just looking at a map tells me that Busan would be a nicer place for the capital city. As it stands now, and according to Wiki: "The Seoul National Capital Area has 24.5 million inhabitants (about half of South Korea's entire population)" so a nuclear strike on North Korea would be insane as the fallout would kill half of South Korea's population.

 

Misty in our corner of the world. I'm pulling weeds in the garden and these pointy planes have been passing by several times now.

 

This would explain a lot of the executions of several high ranking officials by Kim Jong Un. Getting rid of the dissenters and competition.
I really hope the NK nuclear ambition comes to a screeching halt just in case Kin Jong Un is as crazy as he appears.
If SK starts to panic then I to will panic. SK has been listening to the NK rhetoric for years and they probably know when to take things seriously.

 

Surely if NK is admitted to the Nuclear Club then that is a very strong signal to other countries to gain nuclear weapons. They need to be disarmed; a peaceful agreement to swap their nuclear weapons for removing some US missiles and holding less military exercises could be a solution (if all else fails).

I think there was always the possibility under previous US Presidents that they would not put their country at risk if they saw a way out of a major nuclear confrontation, even if 'allies' suffered. Now, under isolationist and nationalistic Trump, that is far more likely;I think we can bet on it.

As for India/Pakistan: certainly a big risk but it is not the same as crazy NK fighting the US to the death. I think any war there will be limited.

 

That might be the ultimate fix. This seems like it would be a greater problem for the local big power than for the US. China needs to be involved. I imagine China would get moving on this issue if historical rival Japan were to develop nukes of its own.

 

I doubt it.
I think many people living close to danger prefer to "carry on / ignore" for as long as they can, rather than uprooting their entire lives and become a part of the world's refugee flows. In many cases they not even lived to regret such a decision.
Think of many of the Jewish and Roma people before WW2 if you need an example.