POTUS threatens "end of NK as we know it" if they push the nuke thing too far

The Barbarian

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While Mr. Trump’s warning that North Korea, if it kept threatening the United States, would “be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen” clearly reflected growing American frustration over the North’s advances, analysts said it was not clear that he had fully considered the implications of such strong language.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/world/asia/north-korea-trump-threat-fire-and-fury.html

The real damage came after North Korea cooly called Trump's bluff and threatened a nuclear strike on Guam. Trump was in a fix; he could either make good on the threat and start a war, or he could just sit there and look foolish.

He chose the latter.
 

glorydaz

Well-known member
If he does go off the deep end and start military action there will be several hundred thousand South Koreans dead by the end of the first day as NK attacks Seoul with artillery. The following mass movement of soldiers and civilians across the border will raise that to a couple of million dead on both sides within three weeks.

At three weeks the American heavy armour and other materiel starts to arrive - wouldn't look to attractive to voters.

Trump needs to stop shouting at the class bully across the playground and think of the long term plan. The South Koreans have one, but it goes nowhere without the US offering something to NK in negotiations. War is certainly unlikely, but with Trump shooting from the hip, anything is possible.

You mean Clinton? That darn Clinton shooting from the hip while giving them "light water".
 

glorydaz

Well-known member
While Mr. Trump’s warning that North Korea, if it kept threatening the United States, would “be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen” clearly reflected growing American frustration over the North’s advances, analysts said it was not clear that he had fully considered the implications of such strong language.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/world/asia/north-korea-trump-threat-fire-and-fury.html

The real damage came after North Korea cooly called Trump's bluff and threatened a nuclear strike on Guam. Trump was in a fix; he could either make good on the threat and start a war, or he could just sit there and look foolish.

He chose the latter.

Really? Guess you aren't paying attention....or you only watch CNN. One of the two.
 

gcthomas

New member
You mean Clinton? That darn Clinton shooting from the hip while giving them "light water".

Do you know what light water is? It is simply water. Everyday water.

Clinton 'offered' a deal with light water rectors as a way to prevent NK extracting plutonium and uranium from it's preexisting three reactors (they're harder to extract material from and would be under supervision). These preexisting reactors were of Magnox design that are optimised to produce plutonium.

Bush, when he became president, was too distracted by Iraq (that went well) and he ignored the pleas of his Secretary of State to continue with the programme and cancelled it. This allowed NK to continue producing Pu and U without the agreed supervision of its reactors.

I know subtlety isn't your thing, but the origins of NK's nukes are more nuanced than you seem to understand.
 

musterion

Well-known member
I knew they would embarrass themselves without even bothering to click the link. Such predictable little tantrum children.
 

Jonahdog

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Such predictable little tantrum children.

Oh, does this comment refer to Trump? It should. Hard to tell which grade level either Trump or Kim are at. I'd say take your pick, one is 5th and the other 6th. Both bullies. Both like to run their mouths.
 

musterion

Well-known member
Its like having the same argument with your wife over and over and over. In this case the husband's keep changing but the wife keeps the argument going through each marriage. Like the show Bewitched.

In that case, the second husband was a closeted homosexual.
 

musterion

Well-known member
A blog commenter pointed out something interesting. While it's pretty clear that China is allowing NK to rant in order to test Trump's mettle, there's also this to keep in mind...

Except China forgets they don't actually have any allies in the region--and a lot of old scores yet to be settled.

The only way they're able to hold on right now is they are able to focus all their efforts inward.

But, facing an outward threat will expose their underbelly.

There are the Tibetans.
The moslulm separatists in the west.
Hong Kong would like to free their chains.
Taiwan will be happy to fund insurrections.
There's territorial disputes with India, Bhutan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines--all who'd be happy to assert their claims.
To say nothing of at least 1-2 million illiterate, starving North Korean refugees they'll have to house.
And millions of middle-class citizens with their savings suddenly wiped out.
While telling millions of young men (who can't find wives) they've been drafted.

From that perspective, China is walking more of a tightrope than anyone else (except KJI, who may end up a shadow burned on a wall).

And Iran is closely watching how Trump plays this, too.
 

gcthomas

New member
A blog commenter pointed out something interesting. While it's pretty clear that China is allowing NK to rant in order to test Trump's mettle, there's also this to keep in mind...



From that perspective, China is walking more of a tightrope than anyone else (except KJI, who may end up a shadow burned on a wall).

And Iran is closely watching how Trump plays this, too.

You are right there. And even of KJI doesn't trigger a war he may still get knifed in the back and the bloodletting that could follow that as the new order establishes itself could still test China.
 

musterion

Well-known member
Yep. China has imposed a form of stability over the region, one that benefits China. They don't want to see that applecart get upset big time so they're likely to step in on NK before Trump had to. I'd bet Trump knows that, and that's why he's trying to out-mad dog the mad dog. But even then, I doubt he's bluffing. If NK made a serious move, he'd respond.
 

gcthomas

New member
Yep. China has imposed a form of stability over the region, one that benefits China. They don't want to see that applecart get upset big time so they're likely to step in on NK before Trump had to. I'd bet Trump knows that, and that's why he's trying to out-mad dog the mad dog. But even then, I doubt he's bluffing. If NK made a serious move, he'd respond.

I think Trump will be scared off by the likely huge death toll that would result from anything but the smallest of military actions. But China plays the long game as it has a lot of internal problems that could cause chaos of not handled gently. Economic, demographic and territorial.
 

musterion

Well-known member
I think Trump will be scared off by the likely huge death toll that would result from anything but the smallest of military actions.

False. There need not be a huge death toll UNLESS NK is able to cause one. Assuming they do have small but reliable nukes they have to be able to reliably deliver them to the target. It's possible they can but it remains to be seen for certain, though it's probably a given they could hit Seoul. If they do, or look like they will, China will have to stop them first.

But China plays the long game as it has a lot of internal problems that could cause chaos of not handled gently. Economic, demographic and territorial.

Which is why they'll step in before Trump does.

The larger issue, though, is how Iran views what happens next. If they spot what they think is more weakness from the U.S., they'll go on as they have, pursuing nukes despite Obama's assurances they won't.
 

musterion

Well-known member
And in case anyone thinks NK's mininukes are news...more attempts to insulate Obama from truly tough choices where random drone strikes wouldn't cut it.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017...ew-about-north-koreas-miniaturized-nukes.html

Tuesday's bombshell Washington Post story that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has determined North Korea is capable of constructing miniaturized nuclear weapons that could be used as warheads for missiles – possibly ICBMs – left out a crucial fact: DIA actually concluded this in 2013. The Post also failed to mention that the Obama administration tried to downplay and discredit this report at the time.


During an April 11, 2013, House Armed Services Committee hearing, Congressman Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., inadvertently revealed several unclassified sentences from a DIA report that said DIA had determined with “moderate confidence” that North Korea has the capability to make a nuclear weapon small enough to be launched with a ballistic missile.


The Director of National Intelligence and Obama officials subsequently tried to dismiss Lamborn’s disclosure by claiming the DIA assessment was an outlier that did not reflect the views of the rest of the U.S. Intelligence Community.

It was clear what Obama officials were doing in 2013. The DIA report represented inconvenient facts that threatened President Obama’s North Korea “strategic patience” policy -- a policy to do nothing about North Korea and kick this problem down the road to the next president. Obama officials tried to downplay the DIA assessment to prevent it from being used to force the president to employ a more assertive North Korea policy.
 
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