News North Korea Renounces Truce-U.S. Military on High Alert

Discussion in 'Free Speech Alley' started by Cajun Sensation, May 28, 2009.

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  1. martin

    martin Banned Forever

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    years ago i would have agreed with you. why should america have to police the damn world. why is everyone else so lazy? let the world manage its damn self.

    but 9/11 genuinely changed that. we simply cant let a country exist if certain things are going on there. if a government fails and things go to hell and lunatics start training each other to be terrorists, we must do something.

    as long as america is the sole superpower, i dont think a true world war could happen. we wouldnt let it, we nip it in the bud. of course i am aware that america's days as the sole superpower are numbered. but that might be ok if the other superpowers are rich and happy and democratic. so lets go buy cheap wal-mart products and send money to china so they are fat and happy and not aggressive.
     
    martin, Jun 15, 2009
    #81
  2. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

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    We're playing Russia and China right now and they are starting to come around. There is a succession about to happen in North Korea. The Dear Leader has named his youngest son to be his successor and appears to be pushing up his succession due to his deteriorating health. Lots can happen in a succession crisis.

    The new Kim was schooled in Europe and is said to be a fan of basketball, Eric Clapton, and Arnold Swartzenegger. He at least know about the world outside Korea and may be very different than his father.

    He could be a lot weaker, too, just as Dear Leader Kim is weaker than Great Leader Kim was. The generals could be waiting for a weak leader to stage a military coup. It's rare for a personality cult to extend into three generations. It takes unbridled power, charisma, and strict policy. The new Kim is in his 20's and not likely to have amassed much of any of them yet.

    I think the US is going to speak softly and carry a big stick right now. The world is on our side on this one and we don't want to blow that. We don't need China and Russia getting all paranoid that the US is trying to establish bases right on their border either.

    North Korea could collapse internally like a house of cards, just like the Soviet Union, and if we can covertly and overtly manipulate that into happening without a shooting war, so much the better for everyone.
     
    red55, Jun 15, 2009
    #82
  3. Bandit88

    Bandit88 Old Enough to Know Better

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    The secret to that is to, on occassion, bust somebody upside the head with the big stick and crush their melon. The effect of this is fear of the quiet, crazy guy with the big stick - not respect for his discretion and measured responses.

    North Korea collapsing (which will PROMPT a shooting war, not follow it) is NOT in our best interests. Not even close. :nope:
     
    Bandit88, Jun 15, 2009
    #83
  4. lsu-i-like

    lsu-i-like Playoff advocate

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    Another Bush supporter... :wink:

    Seriously, David Carradine would not approve, grasshopper.
     
    lsu-i-like, Jun 16, 2009
    #84
  5. Bandit88

    Bandit88 Old Enough to Know Better

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    Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on the hand on the trigger.
     
    Bandit88, Jun 16, 2009
    #85
  6. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

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    Well, we did do just that to Saddams Iraq and Taliban Afghanistan recently. Kim can't have missed the point.

    Why not? A shooting war between whom? Korean unification is
    likely even if it includes some fighting between Koreans. It's better than a full-scale nuclear conflict between us and North Korea that the Chinese might enter . . . again.
     
    red55, Jun 16, 2009
    #86
  7. Bandit88

    Bandit88 Old Enough to Know Better

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    North Korea has nukes. And they have a system of cronyism that demands survival at all cost. If they implode, they will explode first - and they're going to take a lot of folks with them.

    End of the day, the world won't let Korea implode. We'll bail them out again. And again. And again. Because we want to keep them predictable.
     
    Bandit88, Jun 16, 2009
    #87
  8. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

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    The Soviets also had that croynism system, so did the Shah of Iran, so did the last King of France. North Korea is closer to self destruction than any other industrial country.

    They have exploded a crude nuclear device, not a thermonuclear device. They have not demonstrated a capability to deliver one, yet. Their missiles are undependable with small payloads, especially their long-range ones which get that range by delivering a tiny warhead. it is unlikely that they have miniaturized weapon sufficiently to launch them. And they have no hardened silos, their launch facilities are sitting ducks.

    If they use them it will be committing national suicide and they know it. They want nukes for one reason--they think it deters us from attacking them. Boy will they be surprised . . .

    I think we have about come to the end of that. The Russians and Chinese are fed up too, and things are reaching a breaking point inside North Korea.
     
    red55, Jun 16, 2009
    #88
  9. Bandit88

    Bandit88 Old Enough to Know Better

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    I wish you were right, Red. I think you're wrong. Time will tell.

    And, FWIW - while Russia had the mother of all crony-states, North Korea is a different animal completely. No natural resources to speak of, very little industrial capacity, and a horribly ignorant peasant population.

    North Korea has some things in common with all authoritarian regimes. But it's geopolitical situation is very unique in the world right now.

    And I'm not concerned with the bombs they may or may not have. I'm concerned with their ability to import/export/train/assist and I'm also concerned with the impact of China deciding "little brother" needs protecting, even if "little brother" is an idiot and a drug addict.

    No way to know, but I think North Korea outlives both you and I - based purely on geopolitics.
     
    Bandit88, Jun 16, 2009
    #89
  10. LSUMASTERMIND

    LSUMASTERMIND Founding Member

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    Russia says they will shoot down any missle from NK if it come across their mainland.
     
    LSUMASTERMIND, Jun 17, 2009
    #90
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