Commando

The documentary "inside North Korea" premiered on the discovery channel last night. I am disgusted in myself as a human being to know that i live in a society that will not intervene and topple a government that spends its money on strengthening the military and not ending famine. Also religions cancelled i can't remember what they call it but the state religion hails Kim Jung Il 2 as a god and a saviour. Guys come on for the North Koreans lets intervene. IM FOR WAR AGAINST NORTH KOREA TO TOPPLE THE REGIME THAT CAN'T PROPERLY MANAGE THE ECONOMY LET ALONE NUCLEAR WEAPONS. LETS NOT WAIT FOR THE UN WE KNOW THEY WILL NOT REACH AN ARRANGMENT LETS GIVE THE PEOPLE OF NORTH KOREA WHAT THEY DESERVE "FREEDOM".

Bluesman

Nope, can't support the call for us to get into yet another land war in Asia. Recent history seems to indicate this to be a bad idea, and right now, you might've noticed we're a tad committed elsewhere.

Furthermore, the North Koreans now have NUKES (thanks to perhaps the worst, most predictably disastrous deal ever struck with an aggressive and untrustworthy regime since the Nazis put one over on ole Neville, all thanks to that foreign policy Dream Team of Clinton/Albright). We dare not back 'em into a corner.

Senator Moynihan, one of the last respectable Democrats (God rest his soul) used to say that the imperative foreign and security policy task of the West was managing the decline of the Soviet Union. He was prescient enough to realize that it would someday collapse, even though when he uttered those words it showed no signs of the rottenness at its core; it showed only strength and aggressive intent. But he was aware that it would eventually go down, and if it was handled incorrectly, it may either go out in a blaze of nuclear fire, or it may take another hundred years of human misery under the yoke of communist slavery to settle the question.

So it is with North Korea. They've NEVER looked strong nor durable, and their imminent collapse has been predicted for about 20 years now, so that's one difference between them and the USSR. But our task remains the same: managing their decline, bringing their craft down to a relatively easy crash-landing; collapsing their rotten old prison building without involving any of the surrounding structures. Too fast, and the regime panicks and fires the worst weapons in the world into population centers in South Korea and Japan. Too slow, and the resulting misery just drags on and the humanitarian rebuilding required will simply be too much to cope with.

SO...we've got to help them beach their foundering ship. Sinking it all at once is dangerous to us, and bailing the water out of it only delays the inevitable, with worse consequences when it goes down eventually anyway.

But starting a war with 'em would be the worst thing we could do.

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"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory."
- George Orwell

Leader

"IM FOR WAR AGAINST NORTH KOREA"

Until we finish Iraq, I don't think this is a real option. In addition, you would need the support of South Korea since they would likely feel the brunt of the conflict.

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Semper Fi

If the US was stupid enough to attack NK we might aswell kiss Seoul goodbye and probably Tokyo.

Officer of Engineers

Seoul maybe in danger but we have absolutely no evidence that the NKs had managed to weaponize a nuke onto a rocket.

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Chimo

Semper Fi

Thousands of scud missiles pointed at Seoul can be as devasting as a nuke.

Leader

If you're referring to the DPRK nuking Tokyo, they are not capable of that at the moment.

Officer of Engineers

They don't have 1000s of SCUDs.

Leader

How many do they have?

Semper Fi

That's why, I said probably.

And Japan is within the range of North Korea's existing fleet of Nodong missiles.

InfiniteDreams

It was an interesting documentary and a sad state of statesmanship. The North Korean Official claimed they had 200-300 nuclear weapons and "that's the only language the US understands". It was the first time I had heard that from someone within the DPRK. Maybe they're flat out lying or exxagerating but if there is any truth to it whatsoever the chances of a nuclear free Korean Pennsiula is gone.

Personally I think they have more weaponized nuclear weapons than the CIA is willing to publicize. Not that I doubt the intelligence capabilities of the US. When the CIA says they have a few nuclear warheads it's telling me 'Yes they have a capability of launching a nuclear few attacks before they're wiped off the face off the earth.'

The countries in that region need to deal with North Korea and we should suppport them and act as the off shore balancer. The DPRK is more of direct threat to countries in that region than it is to the US.

We can't be at all places at all times. As much I'd like to see the people of the North Korea get help after watching the documentary an invasion of North Korea needs the support of the entire world. We can't be the ones to always carry the brunt of the burden when trying to help other nations.

__________________
The purpose of all war is ultimately peace. - Saint Augustine
For it tis' the doom of men that they forget. - Merlin the Magician
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. - Albert Einstein

Leader

One would think that they would need some of these missiles to hit military targets. Frankly, going after Japan seems to be a waste of a perfectly good missile that could be fired at SK, US ground forces, or USN.

Semper Fi

I agree but if the US would go after NK it would just not be the US and SK it also probably include Japan.

I think Kim Jong Il would try and make this WW3

As for the scud missle question, I found this.

On 29 April 2002, Lieutenant General Daniel R. Zanini, Commander Eighth United States Army, said that North Korea's missile inventory "approaches 1,000" during a speech at a Korea Institute for Defense Analyses seminar in Seoul.

Now that was in 2002. I'm sure NK has added alot more to their arsenal since then.

http://www.nti.org/db/profiles/dprk/...hwaso6_GO.html

Officer of Engineers

The approaching 1000 count is of WMD missiles of all variants, not just SCUDs

GlobalSecurity.org Missiles - North Korea Special Weapons

Officer of Engineers

They may have a few Hiroshima style bombs with some help from the Pakistanis. However, the Pak tested nukes would certainly won't fit on a rocket.

The country most directly under threat is China - the refugee crisis is creating havoc with them. So much so, they have already set up camps that could handle up to 3 million people. However, there are alot more than 3 million NKs.

In any given scenario, the Chinese would be invading also from the north. It's alot cheaper to keep North Koreans in North Korean than to house, feed, and find jobs for them in China.