North Korea: What to do?

I don 't believe that Obama has the balls.


What an asshole you are.

Whatever he does, I can depend on him to think it through and have an end game. Unlike the last administration.

Their previous 8 years of sanctions and isolation have gotten us to this point.

We should flood North Korea with tons of South Korean carrots. Help get rid of North Korean perpetual state of famines and help out the South Korean farmers at the same time.

Plus a surplus of carrots will attract a horde of rabbits into the country. They just might overrun the country's nuclear weapons manufacturing program and chase out the Kim dictatorship once and for all!

Good morning, FBM. Several of us have weighed in with suggestions about what should happen next. I note from your profile that you have been in South Korea since 1996 and were in Thailand before that.
Do you see any path that the various parties might follow to resolve this?
Obviously, it is complicated. Nukes, starvation and whatever else.
Thanks. -rjb

Well, I do not believe Japan is just sitting by and designing new origami. This could result in a total change in Japan's orientation. And, at the last Korean War, we did not have Japan as an ally.

According to some pundits, it is just a matter of time when the North Korean regime may have to admit that the country cannot sustain itself. So, like East Germany going back to a united Germany, North Korea would be an economic drain on South Korea for some period of time.

If, at that time, western nations allowed immigration of Koreans, that would be a win-win solution during the interim period of reunification, I believe. The west would win with hard working immigrants, and the unified Korea would win with less mouths to feed.

But, naturally, this is all based on cooler heads prevailing. Sort of like who said to fire on Fort Sumpter?

I don 't either.



Your point is well taken.

W shoud have taken care of BUSINESS.





David

I think the problem is that nuclear weapons are already in the hands of rabbits....though in the USA you would probably say turkeys and mean the same thing.

Japan has also been provoked in the past. NK has stolen Japanese citizens to set up language schools for spies. No-one has bothered to hold them to account. No wonder they think the west is weak and will avoid war at any cost. As has been already pointed out, WWII started by being weak to dictators.

hee hee...It's been tried, sorta... KJI just ate the rabbits... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6865800

Can't do nukes, for sure. Too close to China. I think they're doing the right thing by going ahead with this weekend's US-SK naval drills in the same area as the attacks. That great big-ass aircraft carrier is a good way to broadcast to the watching world that NK will definitely lose any war it gets involved in. I see it as a kind of 'put up or shut up' statement to the NK brass. Now the question is whether or not the NK brass are going to respond with pride or pragmatics. If they're proud, they'll fire off a few more artillery shells and get pounded into dust, which will escalate, etc etc. If they're motivated by pragmatics, they'll sit on their hands and live to fight another day. I'm pretty sure the latter will happen, but I secretly wish for the former.

Honestly, the best course of action, IMO, is to blockade the north and force them into a conclusion, peaceful or otherwise. They can't survive on overland, cross-border commerce with China alone. The diplomatic appproaces and economic sanctions I've seen so far have just been thinly-veiled admissions of powerlessness by the UN and the West in general.

One more thing: there's no evidence that NK has weaponized its nukes yet for any range of missiles. It's just a matter of time before they dy. One way of looking at it is that the window of opportunity is closing for dealing with a (practically speaking) non-nucular North. IOW, it's not going to get easier; it's going to get harder.

We can 't afford to keep fooling around with this.
We gotta DO what we gotta DO, tho its not likely that Obama can do it.





David

Just eradicate all centers of power using USA superior air power --- no need for nuclear bombs and the killing of innocents ... With no leaders you have no power to control the masses ---- well! - that's what I recon anyway.

How about a nuke on their nuclear facility and claim it was their faulty equipment...see how long that story holds up. Whats the worst they can do ? Shell civilians ? Start a war ? That might be the most likely outcome anyway. I understand Dave's exasperation. The powerful west being pushed around by dictators is rather irksome.

The nonsense of appeasement and pretending not to notice
violations of the Treaty of Versailles is what began the Second World War in Europe.

That is much decried, lamented and bemoaned by historians,
yet we now do it again with these commies.

We cannot afford to have a nuclear armed North Korea; those commies are nuts.
Our nuclear arsenal shoud be made available to save the lives of American soldiers, in the discretion of the Army.





David

We (SK, US, Japan, etc) definitely can't afford to have a NK with weaponized nukes. And it's in the cards for the not-too-distant future if something doesn't stop them.

You sure do like carrots Mitzy.

I haven't read what other think but my take is that this event signifies rogue elements in the DPRK's military.

When Kim Jong Il passes on and Kim Jong Un is put in place, my prediction is that there won't be one but multiple coup de tat. The key players will be those in military command who best establish themselves as nationalistic war heroes and can rally the largest military force behind them. To do this, I believe that DPRK generals looking to elevate their national image will look for any excuse to engage South Korea, and therefore position themselves close to the top and gain public esteem.

Is North Korea going to go to war with South Korea? No. They are going to collapse into civil war...

But not for a few more years.

A
R
T

I agree; I think that 's more than obvious.

How long did it take the Germans to throw off the Treaty of Versailles, which thay deemed unreasonable????????

With a nuclear-armed North Korea overtly menacing Japan,
popping off guided missiles, how long will it take them to re-evaluate their security,
whereupon we find ourselves with a nuclear-armed Japan (and maybe 2 nuclear grudges against us?)


We NEED to treat this the same as a fire that has broken out.
It requires our urgent and very active attention.

That's a very strong possibility. It fits in with what military defectors have said about internal divisiveness among the NK brass.

Anyway, the USFK-ROK naval exercises are scheduled to begin in less than 24 hours, so pop some popcorn and settle in for the show. It may end with a whimper, maybe not... :pop:

Why does this come up as if it's some big event when it's NK or some other boogeyman that does the bombing.

If "indiscriminate attack on civilians can never be tolerated", why is there so much toleration for the "indiscriminate attack on civilians" perpetrated by the USA?

And this is somehow important?