Kim Jong-un is a small man and becoming smaller with his threats. He should have kept his mouth shut and he could have developed a nuclear ICBM to protect his regime from the hyping of democracy and freedom. The west could care less about people, paying only lip service. but is obsessed with power. He is not alone in this
China is the key to resolving the craziness that is Kim Jong-Un and his regime. They need to stop making excuses for Crazy Kim and immediately stop supplying him with funds allowing him to further his nuclear ambitions and to continue the slavery (mental and physical) of the 24 million people under his careful surveillance. None of these excuses makes any sense and no one has been able to satisfactorily explain them to me.
The excuse that the DPRK acts as a buffer for China so that the USA doesn't
have a presence right on China's border is laughable...as if a few hundred miles of nuclear-protected starving people in one small corner of China is some sort of protection for China against us! Our military can project anywhere on the globe the most devastating force the world has ever known in hours, or in some cases, minutes. (I'm not saying we should or would, but we could)
Then there's the one about the flood of refugees into China if Kim's regime collapses. Let's take the extreme and say that one quarter of the North's population runs to China. First of all, why would they? They're more likely to rejoice (at least the one's who have been faking allegiance all along). But if six million North Koreans did flood into China, it would be an entirely insignificant amount of people compared with China's over 1.3 billion people. Most likely it would be far fewer, if any.
So, please tell me -- what's China's problem?
The excuse that the DPRK acts as a buffer for China so that the USA doesn't
have a presence right on China's border is laughable...as if a few hundred miles of nuclear-protected starving people in one small corner of China is some sort of protection for China against us! Our military can project anywhere on the globe the most devastating force the world has ever known in hours, or in some cases, minutes. (I'm not saying we should or would, but we could)
Then there's the one about the flood of refugees into China if Kim's regime collapses. Let's take the extreme and say that one quarter of the North's population runs to China. First of all, why would they? They're more likely to rejoice (at least the one's who have been faking allegiance all along). But if six million North Koreans did flood into China, it would be an entirely insignificant amount of people compared with China's over 1.3 billion people. Most likely it would be far fewer, if any.
So, please tell me -- what's China's problem?
1
Historically, even when North Korea and South Korea were one country during the Yi (Chosun) Dynasty (1392~1910), Koreans in the northern part were notorious for their bluffs and brinkmanship. I live in Namyangju, just 30 miles from the DMZ (demilitarized zone), but do not feel any threats at all. Like WMD of Iraq after 9/11, North Korea's nuclear bombs could be very much an illusion. Don't afraid of North Korea, the world, just disregard it. They are bluffing. It's just a poor, impoverished and crumbling country like Bangladesh.
1
They have killed over 40 South Korean sailors. Imprison and tormented many of their own citizens. They are not to be ignored.
1
The recent closure of the joint north and South Korean industrial complex has the north fuming. This facility employeed thousands of North Koreans and was a cash cow for the Kim government. Mr Kim is running out of bully threats and the Seoul government has stopped providing him money and food. He is desperate. Things will continue to get worse as the North develops a war head delivery system.
3
Rhetoric only, I would say. They don’t have the technology to deliver their nukes, they can’t fit their warheads in missiles yet. That’s what the western media - NYT among them - has been saying.
But it doesn’t mean that Mr. Kim shouldn’t be contained.
But it doesn’t mean that Mr. Kim shouldn’t be contained.
1
There’s an elephant in the room: acknowledging the probability of Kim selling nukes to terrorists.
That probability is often discounted or dismissed by asserting that Kim would never sell a nuke. Dictators are survivors. They never do things that threaten their own survival. Selling a bomb means losing control of its use. Too risky.
The dictum of dictator survival is false. Dictators aren’t immune from colossal misjudgments. A sampling of rulers who unwittingly set in motion their own deaths includes Tojo, Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam, Khadafy (and perhaps Assad).
The risk assertion ignores the capacity of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). PLCs linked to cell towers and satellites now permit control of devices half a world away. The technology that allows a help desk to unlock your car if you’ve lost your keys can be adapted to enable or block the firing circuit of a nuclear weapon. Kim could sell a nuke and still have veto power over its detonation.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons are more threatening to America than any others. Our national security policy and actions haven’t reflected that. It’s time they did.
That probability is often discounted or dismissed by asserting that Kim would never sell a nuke. Dictators are survivors. They never do things that threaten their own survival. Selling a bomb means losing control of its use. Too risky.
The dictum of dictator survival is false. Dictators aren’t immune from colossal misjudgments. A sampling of rulers who unwittingly set in motion their own deaths includes Tojo, Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam, Khadafy (and perhaps Assad).
The risk assertion ignores the capacity of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). PLCs linked to cell towers and satellites now permit control of devices half a world away. The technology that allows a help desk to unlock your car if you’ve lost your keys can be adapted to enable or block the firing circuit of a nuclear weapon. Kim could sell a nuke and still have veto power over its detonation.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons are more threatening to America than any others. Our national security policy and actions haven’t reflected that. It’s time they did.
1
China enters a golden age of economic prosperity , peaceful international relations, moderation of political ideology only to be endangered by a near and familial medieval military Dynasty of infinite cruelty . It is a Chinese problem that its leadership acknowledges as unable to be ignored any longer . It must be resolved by China in some way for the good of the Korean and Chinese people . Continuing executions within the North Korean Ruling circle do not bode well for any North Korean Official seeking harmonious relations with their Chinese counterparts yet the problem must be solved for the good of both countries.
1
Hey remember when we invaded Iraq while two other countries actually had or were developing WMDs?
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Iraq did have WMD's the Bush Administration knew this because the US under Reagan sold/gave them to Iraq in the 1980's during the the Iraq/Iran war. The US did find WMD's in Iraq they just didn't tell anyone at the time because they didn't want to admit the US was the reason Iraq had WMD's.
You can read about it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/14/world/middleeast/us-casual...
You can read about it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/14/world/middleeast/us-casual...
2
In my view Mr. Kim is posturing for his military and possibly for his people, if only to keep them from focusing on their own poverty. The UN isn't helping with its current public pronouncements. If it has decided on restricting Mr. Kim's access to technology and materials, they should get to it and quit their own posturing. Direct intervention or the threat of it will align disaffected military elements with Mr. Kim [and the rest of the populace] and only increase his rhetoric and threats, real or not.
The assassination of this North Korean troll will be unspeakably brutal, they will eviscerate him and his empty hide will be turned into a rug so people can walk on him. He will meet the end worthy of the pain and suffering he inflicted on his people.
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China is ultimately responsible for allowing this family of clown dictators to obtain nuclear weapons. I hope Chinese leadership understands that they will have to deal with comrade Kim sooner better than later.
1
North Korea only has two possible futures at this point, I believe. One thing they are not going to do is become a modern democracy concerned with civil rights and improving humanity's future. All they will ever be to humanity is an irritating hindrance.
The most optimistic future is that when famine becomes unmanageable, the country will descend into chaos, China will invade, restore order, and annex it, and then North Korea will be as much a slave state of China as Tibet is now. This wouldn't be too bad, and would only cause a few million in casualties, mostly from starvation.
The other option is that the insane troll in command, Kim Jong 3 or whatever, will actually launch a nuclear missile. The U.S. will inform China that it is about to strike back with nukes, China will deliberate for a split-second, and then annihilate North Korea with conventional bombardment, so as to avoid a huge cloud of radioactive fallout. China, planning ahead, will probably be looking to maximize civilian casualties, so as to cut down on the number of mouths to feed once the rubble settles. Most likely the majority of the DPRK's slave-citizens will be eliminated.
I really can't see any other future, and the demented motions of Kim Jong Chubby are pushing towards the latter, worse option. I guess if that's how it has to go, so be it, I just hope the wider world isn't greatly affected by the elimination of the DPRK.
The most optimistic future is that when famine becomes unmanageable, the country will descend into chaos, China will invade, restore order, and annex it, and then North Korea will be as much a slave state of China as Tibet is now. This wouldn't be too bad, and would only cause a few million in casualties, mostly from starvation.
The other option is that the insane troll in command, Kim Jong 3 or whatever, will actually launch a nuclear missile. The U.S. will inform China that it is about to strike back with nukes, China will deliberate for a split-second, and then annihilate North Korea with conventional bombardment, so as to avoid a huge cloud of radioactive fallout. China, planning ahead, will probably be looking to maximize civilian casualties, so as to cut down on the number of mouths to feed once the rubble settles. Most likely the majority of the DPRK's slave-citizens will be eliminated.
I really can't see any other future, and the demented motions of Kim Jong Chubby are pushing towards the latter, worse option. I guess if that's how it has to go, so be it, I just hope the wider world isn't greatly affected by the elimination of the DPRK.
I don't believe for a second that Chinese intelligence couldn't put this psychopath in check if they wanted to.
Maybe they could provide him with a lifetime subscription to the PRC Detainment Weekly. Or maybe they could borrow some Polonium tea from Vlad.
Surely there is a faction of high level military that would be happy to take the reins. Hard to imagine they'd be worse than Kimmy boy, and I'm sure they love the paycheck the Party offers.
Anyhow, it's time to take your friend home, Bejing, as he seems to have had one too many. Your inability to control your cxpuppet is starting to look bad.
Maybe they could provide him with a lifetime subscription to the PRC Detainment Weekly. Or maybe they could borrow some Polonium tea from Vlad.
Surely there is a faction of high level military that would be happy to take the reins. Hard to imagine they'd be worse than Kimmy boy, and I'm sure they love the paycheck the Party offers.
Anyhow, it's time to take your friend home, Bejing, as he seems to have had one too many. Your inability to control your cxpuppet is starting to look bad.
That Kim kid better watch out --- Donald Trump could be elected POTUS and then he'll be sorry!
1
China is the answer to this problem, just as it would be ours if Mexico did what the North is saying they are doing with there Nukes.
if china is so worried about its own nuclear deterrent--which I guess means that its not much of a deterrent if the American system is deployed--then they should MAKE n.k. give up nukes. They should overthrow kim. they can make it happen if they try.
Rationalizing the Korea situation has become such a contortion act to justify the current predicament the world faces. If the US is demanding that complete nuclear disarmament is 'on the table' as a condition to talks, it's not going to happen and who knows where this road leads. Its time to simplify things in light of our failure and NK's indisputable status as a nuclear state. Either we accept that, and go back to talks for a treaty and mutual disarmament hoping that hugging them to death brings their people around in a few generations, OR take advantage of China's recent dissatisfaction with its stepchild and get a promise they won't act when KJU and the party leadership are killed or captured, and NK's missile launch sites are smoldering craters. A joint Chinese/South Korean/UN occupation may work. If the middle and lower level military leaders are foolish enough to attack- the US and SK will take them down in a second. There's really only these two ways to go, otherwise more of the same is risking a lot as NK perfects its nuclear tech
is it possible to simply take out their nuclear capability with surgical air strikes? If so, I can't understand what we're waiting for.
The answer to your question was in the article:
"Apart from its nuclear weapons, North Korea’s multiple-rocket launchers and artillery pieces are its most-feared weapons in the South.
The North is estimated to have 13,000 of them clustered on the inter-Korean border, 28 miles north of Seoul; the North’s occasional threats over the years to turn the South Korean capital into a “sea of fire” are presumed to be references to these weapons."
Perhaps it's best not to poke the beehive.
"Apart from its nuclear weapons, North Korea’s multiple-rocket launchers and artillery pieces are its most-feared weapons in the South.
The North is estimated to have 13,000 of them clustered on the inter-Korean border, 28 miles north of Seoul; the North’s occasional threats over the years to turn the South Korean capital into a “sea of fire” are presumed to be references to these weapons."
Perhaps it's best not to poke the beehive.
China is obviously far more threatened by its buffer from South Korea than it is by South Korea.
There have been many mornings in my life when I have woken up to news like this, about unsettling global threats. My reactions: JFK will guide us. Nixon and Kissinger will figure this out. Reagan won't tolerate this, and he has Gorbachev on his side. Clinton is a brilliant strategist. Obama will sort this out with his characteristic patience and a steady hand.
Except for Kasich, would any of the third graders whining last night be able to keep a lid on things, when they haven't demonstrated, in even one debate, that they are capable of cogent and lucid policy discussions ?
Scary times ... will we pit our orange Frankenstein against the likes of Kim Jong-un ?
Except for Kasich, would any of the third graders whining last night be able to keep a lid on things, when they haven't demonstrated, in even one debate, that they are capable of cogent and lucid policy discussions ?
Scary times ... will we pit our orange Frankenstein against the likes of Kim Jong-un ?
4
If this boy makes a mistake, it will be his last.
1
Late last year, during one of the Democratic debates, a moderator asked the candidates to identify who was the greatest immediate threat to the security of the United States. Of course, the chattering press expected everyone to say "ISIS! ISIS!," and the leading candidate did. Sen. Bernie Sanders said North Korea, and was mocked for doing so.
Once again, Sen. Sanders proved he is the better candidate for the Nomination of the Democratic Party in this year's presidential election. He deserves our vote.
Once again, Sen. Sanders proved he is the better candidate for the Nomination of the Democratic Party in this year's presidential election. He deserves our vote.
3
So what. The kid is not going to do anything. China won't let him. Sabre rattling.
If we could just get Trump to accept an ambassadorship there we'd at least have all the nuts in one can.
3
The threatening nukes and missiles in the hands of the paranoid Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un are like toys in the hands of an errant defiant boy hell bent on intimidating and terrorising the neighbours and others who needs disciplining by the global elders before the Kim puts the world on fire.
3
Imagine if Ted Cruz or Donald Trump get elected. More defiant boys playing with dangerous toys.
5
North Korea TV should be interesting this weekend.
Oh Yeah, Kim-il-Song's birthday is just over a month away and it looks like it is going to be a real blast.
Kim Jong-Il trained his son good. He is more brutal than the two previous Kim's combined and he is taking on an aura of a Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Josef Stalin or Adolph Hitler. He is willing to commit genocide within and without his country. Meanwhile, the world continues to sit around and watch.
This man is dangerous. He is in his early 30s and, as he ages, he is crazy enough to no only bomb South Korea, but Japan and China, as well. China has been added to the daily "why I hate you" section of the North Korea News Agency. And even anti-China videos have started to appear of North Korean TV.
In other words, North Korea has become a very dangerous "mouse that roared". The world treats North Korea as a joke, but this joke is no longer funny.
Oh Yeah, Kim-il-Song's birthday is just over a month away and it looks like it is going to be a real blast.
Kim Jong-Il trained his son good. He is more brutal than the two previous Kim's combined and he is taking on an aura of a Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Josef Stalin or Adolph Hitler. He is willing to commit genocide within and without his country. Meanwhile, the world continues to sit around and watch.
This man is dangerous. He is in his early 30s and, as he ages, he is crazy enough to no only bomb South Korea, but Japan and China, as well. China has been added to the daily "why I hate you" section of the North Korea News Agency. And even anti-China videos have started to appear of North Korean TV.
In other words, North Korea has become a very dangerous "mouse that roared". The world treats North Korea as a joke, but this joke is no longer funny.
24
I fully agree with your summation of the dangerous despot. This boy is full of bravado and should not be trusted. This boy is constantly humiliated by American comics and it's certain that he is out to even things up a bit.... typical of a rejected school yard bully in a junior high school setting...
It's time that Russia and China reign in this oppressive autocrat before this volatile situation moves to the next level. Hopefully, Vlad Putin, at least, will step up to the plate and tone down this tyrant a smidge...
It's time that Russia and China reign in this oppressive autocrat before this volatile situation moves to the next level. Hopefully, Vlad Putin, at least, will step up to the plate and tone down this tyrant a smidge...
1
This is China's creation, pure and simple. Without Chinese support none of this would happen. Does anyone think free trade with China has been truly beniificial to the world at large. Anyone?
9
Actually is is China's, the Soviet Union, and failed UN who made this all happen. Remember, the Korean War never ended, it is a truce officially. The DMZ is the most militarized border in the world. One mis-step and the two Korea's can easily be at war.
5
There are innumerable benefits to open trade with China (which started under Nixon, like the EPA) - open trade with helped to end the cold war by incorporating a communist nation into the global economy and breaking the back of the economically isolated USSR, it has made the most populous country in the world an economic ally and partner to the world (what would the US strategy be if the Chinese started landing 100,000 refugees a day on US shores?), and it has lifter hundreds of millions of people out of poverty both in China and across the globe as China's growth has lead to development of Asian, South American, and African economies.
What does that have to do with free trade?
The Chinese want a buffer against South Korea (and U.S. influence), and they're terrified of having millions of North Korean refugees should the state collapse completely.
The Chinese want a buffer against South Korea (and U.S. influence), and they're terrified of having millions of North Korean refugees should the state collapse completely.
I wonder if we could get Mr. Kim to change his party affiliation and run for President here. We might have a chance of winning then.
The slogan could be "The Bombast of Trump and the Girth of Christie"
The slogan could be "The Bombast of Trump and the Girth of Christie"
7
I don't know what the plan is, but North Korea is a threat to the world and something must be done about them. International pressure, including China and Russia, must help us to disarm this crazy country. The leaders are holding its people hostage. Our diplomats and military need to coordinate. This is a threat we cannot allow to continue. And Obama did't start this. This has been going on like this for years now.
15
I couldn’t agree more. And sadly, it’s worse than that: There’s an elephant in the room: acknowledging the probability of Kim selling nukes to terrorists. Most political, journalistic, and academic specialists ignore this most threatening aspect of proliferation but ignoring it won’t prevent it.
That probability is often discounted or dismissed by asserting that Kim would never sell a nuke. Dictators are survivors. They never do things that threaten their own survival. Selling a bomb means losing control of its use. Too risky.
The dictum of dictator survival is false. Dictators aren’t immune from colossal misjudgments. A sampling of rulers who unwittingly set in motion their own deaths includes Tojo, Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam, Khadafy (and perhaps Assad).
The risk assertion ignores the capacity of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). PLCs linked to cell towers and satellites now permit control of devices half a world away. The technology that allows a help desk to unlock your car if you’ve lost your keys can be adapted to enable or block the firing circuit of a nuclear weapon.
Kim could sell a nuke and retain veto power over its detonation.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons are more threatening to America than any others. The discussion about North Korea doesn't reflect that. It’s time that it did. Then maybe our national security policy and actions would address this threat.
That probability is often discounted or dismissed by asserting that Kim would never sell a nuke. Dictators are survivors. They never do things that threaten their own survival. Selling a bomb means losing control of its use. Too risky.
The dictum of dictator survival is false. Dictators aren’t immune from colossal misjudgments. A sampling of rulers who unwittingly set in motion their own deaths includes Tojo, Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam, Khadafy (and perhaps Assad).
The risk assertion ignores the capacity of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). PLCs linked to cell towers and satellites now permit control of devices half a world away. The technology that allows a help desk to unlock your car if you’ve lost your keys can be adapted to enable or block the firing circuit of a nuclear weapon.
Kim could sell a nuke and retain veto power over its detonation.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons are more threatening to America than any others. The discussion about North Korea doesn't reflect that. It’s time that it did. Then maybe our national security policy and actions would address this threat.
This is incredibly irresponsible bluster and should not be tolerated. Kim Jong-un sounds like a Republican candidate. Hope their neighbors response is a strong one.
6