North Korea...

[Corprin]

Do you wear tinfoil hats an keep an eye out for black helicopters?

I take it you know very little about the history of Japan, its exploits, and what lead it to an attack US territory.

I should known someone would find fault with the global ambitions statement. Whatever you want to call it, Japan had ambitions. My point was that when Japan decided to attack, they didn't saber rattle. They just launched an attack. I have no idea what motivates the leadership of North Korea, but I doubt that they want to go to war.

The global part was the only thing I disagreed with, as they were only focused on building the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, not the whole world. Otherwise I completely agree with your point, Japan didn't really saber rattle, they just went in and did the deed.

Why/how North Korean leadership believes saber rattling, or all out war if it happens, will bring prosperity to their nation is beyond me.

 

[brian4d]

Dialing back Obama's plan (AKA the playbook) on the show of force.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324100904578400833997420280.html

 

[bri]

The newest tech angle does scream one thing to me; USAF desire to showcase their role in within the DoD. If you have an expensive toy that hasn't done a lot in the past 10 years (F-22's never dropped a bomb in support of troops in contact...not that I'm biased toward that or anything) you need to show that it is useful....otherwise why do we have them?

Regarding KJU; where's the fire? Why do anything? Why not ignore his childish rants and back channel through the PRC that what he's doing isn't helpful and it's more their problem than ours when it all comes out in the wash. Why respond at all? Latent insecurity? A need for our allies to feel like the US is going to be there for them? There are other ways to show unity and solidarity rather than escalatory gestures. Doing nothing may have dissolved this situation vice continuing it.

It begs the question; why do anything at all about KJU; other than the DPRK's nuclear ambitions what is our real vested interest in doing more than containing the stupidity in the peninsula and allowing regional entities to deal with it first and foremost. The words I used in previous posts, vital national security interests, are part of a lexicon that needs to be examined closely before we do things. If you can point toward something that actually hits that threshold then a substantive conversation about what to do about the DPRK can ensue.

I would have thought the past decade would have gotten most Americans past the desire to solve all the world's problems. Sometimes the best decision to deal with a situation is no decision (or apparent / viewable decision) at all.

Well said.

 

[Eliot]

They've started fueling operations.

 

[brian4d]

So how does the "Why do anything" crowd here feel about a Nuclear tipped warheads?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...230dea-a2eb-11e2-82bc-511538ae90a4_story.html


Is Kerry predicting the future?

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...rea-missile-launch-would-be-huge-mistake?lite

So why do anything? I believe 1 of two outcomes. Either war is imminent or KJU will either be assassinated or taken out of command (which I don't see happening). Their population is in turmoil, their people are starving and only their 1% (highest paid) are living decently. They are at a breaking point, do we call their bluff? Cross our fingers and hope our interceptors work? I know Japan puts a lot of trust in their technology but this takes the cake. It's a roll of the dice either way I suppose. Who's going to blink first?

 

[brian4d]

Nuclear war is 'Unavoidable' now? No one has done anything to North Korea in the past few years with the exception of the UN sanctions. This kind of talk is complete madness.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world...ble-as-it-declares-first-target-will-be-Japan

 

[Mike_Rupp]

Brian, the good thing about dealing with communists is that they don't believe in God. Not only do they not believe in God, they surely don't believe that there are 72 virgins awaiting them should they die while engaged in jihad.

Communists love being in power. I am much more concerned about a nuclear Iran.

 

[ukoffroad]

KJU is many things but not stupid. He lived outside the kingdom long enough to know that a real war is the end of his power. He is just showing off for his new girlfriend.

 

[brian4d]

Brian, the good thing about dealing with communists is that they don't believe in God. Not only do they not believe in God, they surely don't believe that there are 72 virgins awaiting them should they die while engaged in jihad.

Communists love being in power. I am much more concerned about a nuclear Iran.

It is true that jihadists have no value for life and would be of great concern if/when they become Nuclear.

I really think the clock is ticking faster in N. Korea than most think. The sanctions are killing their people. I saw just the other night how a N. Korean grandmother made a pact with her family to all commit suicide by starving themselves to death? Really? Can't even come up with a few bullets? We really can't see what's going on with the general population but I would venture to guess it's very bad, breaking point bad..... I hate to say it but I really think the shit's about to hit the fan.

 

[mjbrox]

I think he's overcorrecting.

No, he is just a tool.


There is no real diffrence between republicans and democrats on major policy. Their leaders are all just toos

 

[ChrismonDA]

Dialing back Obama's plan (AKA the playbook) on the show of force.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324100904578400833997420280.html

Do not do that the Dems hate facts, Even though they were the ones who said them.

 

[ChrismonDA]

KJU is many things but not stupid. He lived outside the kingdom long enough to know that a real war is the end of his power. He is just showing off for his new girlfriend.

Best post I have seen here! Yes, he went to a very prestigious school in Switzerland You are correct, just do not understand why he is acting like a 10 year old having a temper tantrum. He knows about the west and that we do not eat snow and eat birds on a Tuesday. Funny thing is that video was more than likely filmed in eastern Europe. Still waiting for that wonderful coffee from the North Koreans...

 

[ChrismonDA]

I believe if he starts a war thousands of North Koreans will run south because they are not stupid. Sanctions please. You have this fat assed dictator in power, he has electricity, booze and food. I am sure that many people in the North can see through his BS. But they are affraid to do so

 

[ChrismonDA]

I sure hope you're right... but recall if you will that in the run-up to WWII nobody thought Hitler was going to do anything either.

Blame Neville Chamberlain for that fiasco! Then Winston Churchill took over the UK and the WH decided to send his bust back to the UK? What a smack in the face in my opinion.

 

[knewsom]

Blame Neville Chamberlain for that fiasco! Then Winston Churchill took over the UK and the WH decided to send his bust back to the UK? What a smack in the face in my opinion.

Churchill may well have saved the world as we know it, and as incredible a man as he was, he was not without his own faults. As for Chamberlain, it's easy to blame him in retrospect, but within the context of the onset of WWII, taking a hard-line position on Germany was not so simple a call. They'd made an agreement with Poland over the Polish Corridor after all, and this was known - when the negotiations fell apart and Germany became aggressive, it seemed to some that Poland had basically tried to back out of their deal and may have had it coming. I'm not saying Germany was justified in invading Poland - it's pretty clear that they had worldwide ambitions - but at the time, without the context we have now, it probably seemed prudent wait and see what Germany's intentions were - were they just moving in to build the road through the Polish Corridor to East Prussia? Or were they after the country as a whole?

WRT the bust... Sounds like the pundits convinced you to be pretty upset about it. I don't really give a flying shit, and I'm pretty sure the British don't either. I don't think it was intended to be a slight - the man was redecorating, and he probably didn't want to see such a great statue sit in the basement, so he returned it (it was after all on loan).

 

[p m]

I sure hope you're right... but recall if you will that in the run-up to WWII nobody thought Hitler was going to do anything either.

Kris, you have some fun reading to do.

 

[p m]

Brian, the good thing about dealing with communists is that they don't believe in God. Not only do they not believe in God, they surely don't believe that there are 72 virgins awaiting them should they die while engaged in jihad.

Communists love being in power. I am much more concerned about a nuclear Iran.

This is very true. With one correction - you hope that you are dealing with proper communists (that is, those who don't believe in anything, including communism). But there is plenty of dumb ones, too. I don't know where KJU belongs.

 

[knewsom]

Kris, you have some fun reading to do.

Looks like a great book!

 

[Mike_Rupp]

Looks like a great book!

Peter recommended the book to me years ago. It's well worth the $10. Back when he recommended it to me, I had to get it at the library. I think I'll get the Kindle version and read it again.