And for some happy news today...

[Psychosplodge]

North Korea threaten to Nuke the US.

(http://news.sky.com/story/1061345/north-korea-threatens-us-with-nuclear-strike)

I thought we'd got over this sort of nonsense in the 80's/90's.
It does make you laugh though if the yanks had wanted to nuke N.Korea the president would have let MacArthur do it in the 50's like he wanted...

[DrLove42]

"They're going to sanction us for doing tests? What is the solution? Threaten that we're even more trigger ahppy with our nukes than they already think we are!"

[Deadlift]

I can see China starting to lose patience with North Korea.

[Psychosplodge]

I can see China starting to lose patience with North Korea.

Think that's the only thing that will reign them in. And considering china's becoming slowly more engaged with the west, even if they see things differently, the last thing they want is a nuclear exchange on the Korean peninsula...

[DrLove42]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21704862

Gte ready for the Fallout...the sanctions passed in the UN unopposed. Even China and Russia are fed up of their shi*

[eldargal]

The North Korean leadership have really lost the plot if they are willing to piss off China and to a lesser extent Russia. Chinese influence was the only thing that stopped North Korea being occupied in the Korean War and it has been their lifeline ever since.

If I recall correctly it was China that MacArthur wanted to nuke during the Korean war if or after they got involved in Korea, not North Korea itself.

[Phototoxin]

Do they actually have the capability to nuke the US though?

And also I think sanctions are a way of bullying other countries. I mean the US and China both have nukes, it seems hypocritical to say to NKorea - we have them but you can't ner ner!

[Aenir]

It seems to me not a you cant have them, but a until you prove you are responsible and not willing to pout whenever you dont get your way (which as they havent, is why we are still are super against them) I'd venture that another part of the reason [going back to responsiblity] is that I would say that all nuclear countries thus far, have them more as deterrants/just in cases. If they were to get a long range nuke, would they use it if say the US has more sanctions pass?*


*just me theorizing

[eldargal]

Do they actually have the capability to nuke the US though?

And also I think sanctions are a way of bullying other countries. I mean the US and China both have nukes, it seems hypocritical to say to NKorea - we have them but you can't ner ner!
They don't have the capacity to deploy a nuclear weapon conventionally, no.

You've touched on one o the big issues within nuclear proliferation; Why do some countries get them and others don't? Especially since some of the countries in possession of them are hardly known for their restraint. The US, is, afterall, the only country to have ever used one against another nation while Russia was hardly a force for good under Soviet rule. Or now. Britain and France have a moderately less checkered past since the end of Imperialism but even so. India and Pakistan are obviously problematic. Israel is one of the larger problems as their possession of nuclear weapons has spurred Iraq to try and get them in the past and Iran now. Quite reasonably, from their perspective, when Israel has a history of aggression against its neighbours.
While the US and Russia both have reduced their nuclear stockpiles considerably I don't believe there is any serious talk of dismantling them entirely, so the hypocrisy of these countries in telling other countries they aren't allowed to have nuclear technology is something of a hindrance in arguing for non-proliferation to say the least.:rolleyes:

[Phototoxin]

Exactly, nukes for everyone, miniature American flags for others!

[Psychosplodge]

If I recall correctly it was China that MacArthur wanted to nuke during the Korean war if or after they got involved in Korea, not North Korea itself.

Was it? I just recall he wanted to use them. Everything I know about the Korean war comes off Yesterday...


When it comes to non-proliferation some countries have treaty obligations not to pursue them. And even at their most radical Soviet Russia/China never used them.

Whereas when you have nutjobs like I'madinnerjacket and kim young'en spouting off about wiping other countries off the map, it's time to worry...

[DrLove42]

Something most people dont know is the Korean War never technically ended. They agreed to an internationally governed ceasefire, but technically with no peace agreement, theyre still at war.

And this morning NK cancelled the peace agreement, closed all the access borders and cut the phone hotline.

[Wolfshade]

If this is saber ratling it is near perfect timing.

Those who miliatry support the UN most readily are already heavily deployed in various theatres and there are 16 deployments already in action, not to mention NATO actions.

There are the concerns of Iran and Siria, the dispute between Japan & China, plus African concerns.

[Psychosplodge]

As long as China stays pissed at them nothing much will come of it.

[Wolfshade]

The other thing to remember is that North Korea's claims are often not independently verified so the truth of it can not be tested.
While China does have huge man power, the technology they use is not "advanced" so you need to consider whether they can useful bring to bear their forces across a small battlefront

[Wildeybeast]

Do they actually have the capability to nuke the US though?

They certainly don't have missiles with that sort of range. The furthest they can target is Japan with land-launched missiles. There is some debate as to whether they even have 'proper' nuclear weapons or have simply been blowing up large amounts of radioactive material. That was the common consensus with their first 'test', though opinion seems more split on the second two.

[spaceman91]

I am not scared of NK. There is nothing i can do to stop so its out oy my hands. You just have to live like nothings wrong. There will be a day when die and when that day comes i want to be able to say i lived with out fear, i just went on and enjoyed life. If it kicks off, yer they are a worry but i am not rambo i cant go in on my own and wipe out un ( think thats how you spell his name). I have to have faith that are boys and girls of the armed forces are able to deal with it. I don't mean to offend anyone with these views, so if you are offended by this, I'm sorry. I have always tried to live my life in a "take it as it comes" kind of way.