Why a U.S. Military Strike against N.Korea would be disastrous

[HereWeGoAgain]

And they just launched a nuke. Time to find a political solution for the region.

No they didnt.

 

[OffensivelyOpenMinded]

It's time to lob some missiles into their territory either way, flexing our muscle is the only thing this punk will understand.

 

[Sundance508]

Yes, let's keep,doing nothing substantial and let them get to the point where they can stockpile ICBMs with nukes on all of them.

Kim boi-king is a lunatic, you cannot reason with him. Taking him out is the only way.

'Has North Korea just developed an H-bomb for its missiles? They say they have and to deny it would be reckless...time and again we have seen the analysts wrong about the N. Korean military potential.

Yet...............Using nuclear weapons against North Korea is a terrible idea. More than 70 years after the first and only use of nuclear weapons in combat, it seems odd to have to put this in writing, but the past several weeks of heightened tensions with North Korea have made it a necessity.


As the crisis on the Korean peninsula deepens, voices calling for military action to halt North Korea’s nuclear programme have grown stronger and bolder. Last week, Kevin James, a research fellow from the London School of Economics, went a step further, writing that the administration should “nuke North Korea now: it’s the only option”. His argument is based on the assumption that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is an irrational actor, and that nuclear deterrence is a not an option.

This ignores a fundamental reality. The United States has been in a deterrence relationship with North Korea for decades.'

'Since the suspension of the Korean war in 1953, North Korea has held Seoul, the world’s fourth-largest metropolis, and home to roughly 25 million people, hostage. Pyongyang has thousands of artillery pieces trained on the South Korean capital, a mere 40km south of the border with North Korea. Shells fired from those batteries can reach their targets in roughly 45 seconds. That puts close to 35,000 US troops and 100,000 American civilians directly in harm’s way should a major conflict break out on the Korean peninsula.


To make matters worse, North Korea possesses one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world, and can deploy these toxins on an array of artillery shells and missiles. All of South Korea, Japan, and the vast majority of US military assets in the region are well within the range of these weapons. Within minutes of a US military strike, hundreds of these weapons would be launched at both civilian and military targets, inflicting devastating casualties, and causing significant delays in the arrival of American reinforcements to the Korean peninsula.

Thus realists understand there will be no U.S. military action against N. Korea....it is just bluster designed to eventually get a sit down with the N. Korean leader to negotiate some sort of arrangement....meaning we will have to live with a nuclear armed N. Korea. That is reality.'

Our only real hope of protection from N. Korea is to perfect a anti-missile system which may be years away.

In the meantime we should develp the best possible strike plan for N. Korea just in case they go absolutely nuts and launch an attack against the U.S. We must be prepared for the devastation that such an event would cause...definitely in S. Korea and Japan but very likely for our West Coast particuarly and perhaps the entire nation....we have entered a very dangerous era for America...people need to understand that and civil defense measures must be enacted like never before.
US military strike against North Korea would be disastrous

This is t our first rodeo with ICBMs, nukes, and threats of total destruction. We dealt with it in the 50s and since.

We already have the capability to knock his play toys right out of the sky. The fat kid is a rank amateur in this game and is no threat to us.

Un

Wrong at every level...the cold war pales in comparison to the N. Korean threat...as in we do not know how rational their leadership is. We do not have an effective anti-missile missile system....we could knock down some but no gurantee at all that we have any sort of capability to prevent a nuclear armed N. Korean missle hitting somewhere in America. You have made the first mistake in warfare...underestimating the enemy.

Your thesis is a hodge-podge of contradictory statements wrapped up in tired maxims. The NK thrreat grows every day, yet you condone a wait-and-see posture? Nk may or may not currently have the capability of a nuclear strike on an American city, but they most certainly will in the near future. As for ABM systems, there value does not rely on 100% effectiveness. Rather, it adds uncertainty to the effects of a first strike against us, combined with the certain knowledge of devastating retaliation.

Kim Jong Un is not insane in a clinical sense; he is merely propping up his authoritarian regime by poking a stick at the big U.S. bear. He will continue doing so (a la Hussein) until he is put down. The real question is whether his generals are willing to go down in flames along side hiem. Unfortunately, history suggests that they are.

Yes, let's keep,doing nothing substantial and let them get to the point where they can stockpile ICBMs with nukes on all of them.

Kim boi-king is a lunatic, you cannot reason with him. Taking him out is the only way.

'Has North Korea just developed an H-bomb for its missiles? They say they have and to deny it would be reckless...time and again we have seen the analysts wrong about the N. Korean military potential.

Yet...............Using nuclear weapons against North Korea is a terrible idea. More than 70 years after the first and only use of nuclear weapons in combat, it seems odd to have to put this in writing, but the past several weeks of heightened tensions with North Korea have made it a necessity.


As the crisis on the Korean peninsula deepens, voices calling for military action to halt North Korea’s nuclear programme have grown stronger and bolder. Last week, Kevin James, a research fellow from the London School of Economics, went a step further, writing that the administration should “nuke North Korea now: it’s the only option”. His argument is based on the assumption that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is an irrational actor, and that nuclear deterrence is a not an option.

This ignores a fundamental reality. The United States has been in a deterrence relationship with North Korea for decades.'

'Since the suspension of the Korean war in 1953, North Korea has held Seoul, the world’s fourth-largest metropolis, and home to roughly 25 million people, hostage. Pyongyang has thousands of artillery pieces trained on the South Korean capital, a mere 40km south of the border with North Korea. Shells fired from those batteries can reach their targets in roughly 45 seconds. That puts close to 35,000 US troops and 100,000 American civilians directly in harm’s way should a major conflict break out on the Korean peninsula.


To make matters worse, North Korea possesses one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world, and can deploy these toxins on an array of artillery shells and missiles. All of South Korea, Japan, and the vast majority of US military assets in the region are well within the range of these weapons. Within minutes of a US military strike, hundreds of these weapons would be launched at both civilian and military targets, inflicting devastating casualties, and causing significant delays in the arrival of American reinforcements to the Korean peninsula.

Thus realists understand there will be no U.S. military action against N. Korea....it is just bluster designed to eventually get a sit down with the N. Korean leader to negotiate some sort of arrangement....meaning we will have to live with a nuclear armed N. Korea. That is reality.'

Our only real hope of protection from N. Korea is to perfect a anti-missile system which may be years away.

In the meantime we should develp the best possible strike plan for N. Korea just in case they go absolutely nuts and launch an attack against the U.S. We must be prepared for the devastation that such an event would cause...definitely in S. Korea and Japan but very likely for our West Coast particuarly and perhaps the entire nation....we have entered a very dangerous era for America...people need to understand that and civil defense measures must be enacted like never before.
US military strike against North Korea would be disastrous

This is t our first rodeo with ICBMs, nukes, and threats of total destruction. We dealt with it in the 50s and since.

We already have the capability to knock his play toys right out of the sky. The fat kid is a rank amateur in this game and is no threat to us.

Un

Wrong at every level...the cold war pales in comparison to the N. Korean threat...as in we do not know how rational their leadership is. We do not have an effective anti-missile missile system....we could knock down some but no gurantee at all that we have any sort of capability to prevent a nuclear armed N. Korean missle hitting somewhere in America. You have made the first mistake in warfare...underestimating the enemy.

Your thesis is a hodge-podge of contradictory statements wrapped up in tired maxims. The NK thrreat grows every day, yet you condone a wait-and-see posture? Nk may or may not currently have the capability of a nuclear strike on an American city, but they most certainly will in the near future. As for ABM systems, there value does not rely on 100% effectiveness. Rather, it adds uncertainty to the effects of a first strike against us, combined with the certain knowledge of devastating retaliation.

Kim Jong Un is not insane in a clinical sense; he is merely propping up his authoritarian regime by poking a stick at the big U.S. bear. He will continue doing so (a la Hussein) until he is put down. The real question is whether his generals are willing to go down in flames along side hiem. Unfortunately, history suggests that they are.

It is not a question of wait and see..we know what they are up to but the problem being there is no good solution....are you ready to go to war with China? That is the first problem if we strike first...China has said in such a case they will come to the defense of N. Korea....do not forget they have never lost a war(the chinese communists) Again...we do not know how rational the N. Koreans are....their thinking is much different than western thought. Our best analysts really do not know how rational(in a western sense)kim may be and you certainly do not. What you claim as the 'real question' is no question at all...there is no doubt that in a milataristic regime such as exists in N. Korea that their Generals will do as instructed...you are way off in left field on that...but then you do admit they would most likely do as they are told.

So....in reality we have two problems......with China and then with N. Korea....the China Problem being the main problem.

If Trump was to decide to attack first.....his best option would be to use a lot of tactical nukes....if he could knock out N. Korea very quickly...the Chinese might be reluctant to get involved...the knock out blow would have to be very,very fast in order to achieve any hope of non-chinese involvement. The only way to do that would be to use lots of tactical nukes. Still a big gamble.

 

[Mac1958]

As we know, there are no good answers here. We've let this go too far.

I'm still putting a lot of hope in Japan, South Korea & China, all of whom have direct interests in this.

I'm sure there's a lot going on behind the scenes, but Japan's recent aggressive comments were worrisome - maybe they see no progress being made either.
.

 

[Mac1958]

It's time to lob some missiles into their territory either way, flexing our muscle is the only thing this punk will understand.

No, the fat kid could lose his shit and turn Seoul into a freakin' parking lot.

I have a Samsung cell phone and tablet, goddamn it.
.

 

[OffensivelyOpenMinded]

It's time to lob some missiles into their territory either way, flexing our muscle is the only thing this punk will understand.

No, the fat kid could lose his shit and turn Seoul into a freakin' parking lot.

I have a Samsung cell phone and tablet, goddamn it.
.

Time for some competitive competition in the cell phone business is what that sounds like to me.

 

[Sundance508]

As we know, there are no good answers here. We've let this go too far.

I'm still putting a lot of hope in Japan, South Korea & China, all of whom have direct interests in this.

I'm sure there's a lot going on behind the scenes, but Japan's recent aggressive comments were worrisome - maybe they see no progress being made either.
.

Japan will very likely go nuclear...in fact they could do it very quickly...in fact some say they have nukes already....anyhow---if the Japanese even threaten to develop nukes that might bring some pressure on China to help with N. Korea. South Korea is not even in the game...they are essentially hostages....understanding their vulnurability. Again....there is no peaceful solution in sight unless China can be persuaded it is in their best interests to help us neutralize N. Korea....so far that is not happening. One country you leave totally left out in your equation is Russia and they should definitely be included....they have a long history with N. Korea and a lot of influence there

 

[Mac1958]

As we know, there are no good answers here. We've let this go too far.

I'm still putting a lot of hope in Japan, South Korea & China, all of whom have direct interests in this.

I'm sure there's a lot going on behind the scenes, but Japan's recent aggressive comments were worrisome - maybe they see no progress being made either.
.

Japan will very likely go nuclear...in fact they could do it very quickly...in fact some say they have nukes already....anyhow---if the Japanese even threaten to develop nukes that might bring some pressure on China to help with N. Korea. South Korea is not even in the game...they are essentially hostages....understanding their vulnurability. Again....there is no peaceful solution in sight unless China can be persuaded it is in their best interests to help us neutralize N. Korea....so far that is not happening. One country you leave totally left out in your equation is Russia and they should definitely be included....they have a long history with N. Korea and a lot of influence there

Good stuff. I would think that China would have stomped on the fat kid's throat by now, and haven't they already begun some more sanctions?

I'm not seeing a lot of evidence that China has the pull we thought it did.
.

 

[Sundance508]

As we know, there are no good answers here. We've let this go too far.

I'm still putting a lot of hope in Japan, South Korea & China, all of whom have direct interests in this.

I'm sure there's a lot going on behind the scenes, but Japan's recent aggressive comments were worrisome - maybe they see no progress being made either.
.

Japan will very likely go nuclear...in fact they could do it very quickly...in fact some say they have nukes already....anyhow---if the Japanese even threaten to develop nukes that might bring some pressure on China to help with N. Korea. South Korea is not even in the game...they are essentially hostages....understanding their vulnurability. Again....there is no peaceful solution in sight unless China can be persuaded it is in their best interests to help us neutralize N. Korea....so far that is not happening. One country you leave totally left out in your equation is Russia and they should definitely be included....they have a long history with N. Korea and a lot of influence there

Good stuff. I would think that China would have stomped on the fat kid's throat by now, and haven't they already begun some more sanctions?

I'm not seeing a lot of evidence that China has the pull we thought it did.
.

China has done nothing of a serious nature in regards to helping with N. Korea...as Trump said they just talk. You reveal a basic lack of understanding of China's game. First you must understand that China is not our friend and their basic motivation regarding N. Korea is that they see N. Korea as a tool to bring pressure on America to retreat from China's area of influence....that is China's goal. N. Korea no matter whan anyone says is a puppet state of China...China could slap them down anytime they wanted. The problem being the status quo is in China's interest ...as least in so far the way they perceive it.

They are banking on Trump not acting as in not conducting a pre-emptive strike on N. Korea...they do not believe he would...they believe he is bluffing. They may be right....but they also may be wrong.

We can only hope that if Trump does decide to strike first...he does so in a manner that would be completely destructive of the N. Korean state and in a manner that would be as fast as possible...meaning nukes.

 

[PredFan]

Yes, let's keep,doing nothing substantial and let them get to the point where they can stockpile ICBMs with nukes on all of them.

Kim boi-king is a lunatic, you cannot reason with him. Taking him out is the only way.

'Has North Korea just developed an H-bomb for its missiles? They say they have and to deny it would be reckless...time and again we have seen the analysts wrong about the N. Korean military potential.

Yet...............Using nuclear weapons against North Korea is a terrible idea. More than 70 years after the first and only use of nuclear weapons in combat, it seems odd to have to put this in writing, but the past several weeks of heightened tensions with North Korea have made it a necessity.


As the crisis on the Korean peninsula deepens, voices calling for military action to halt North Korea’s nuclear programme have grown stronger and bolder. Last week, Kevin James, a research fellow from the London School of Economics, went a step further, writing that the administration should “nuke North Korea now: it’s the only option”. His argument is based on the assumption that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is an irrational actor, and that nuclear deterrence is a not an option.

This ignores a fundamental reality. The United States has been in a deterrence relationship with North Korea for decades.'

'Since the suspension of the Korean war in 1953, North Korea has held Seoul, the world’s fourth-largest metropolis, and home to roughly 25 million people, hostage. Pyongyang has thousands of artillery pieces trained on the South Korean capital, a mere 40km south of the border with North Korea. Shells fired from those batteries can reach their targets in roughly 45 seconds. That puts close to 35,000 US troops and 100,000 American civilians directly in harm’s way should a major conflict break out on the Korean peninsula.


To make matters worse, North Korea possesses one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world, and can deploy these toxins on an array of artillery shells and missiles. All of South Korea, Japan, and the vast majority of US military assets in the region are well within the range of these weapons. Within minutes of a US military strike, hundreds of these weapons would be launched at both civilian and military targets, inflicting devastating casualties, and causing significant delays in the arrival of American reinforcements to the Korean peninsula.

Thus realists understand there will be no U.S. military action against N. Korea....it is just bluster designed to eventually get a sit down with the N. Korean leader to negotiate some sort of arrangement....meaning we will have to live with a nuclear armed N. Korea. That is reality.'

Our only real hope of protection from N. Korea is to perfect a anti-missile system which may be years away.

In the meantime we should develp the best possible strike plan for N. Korea just in case they go absolutely nuts and launch an attack against the U.S. We must be prepared for the devastation that such an event would cause...definitely in S. Korea and Japan but very likely for our West Coast particuarly and perhaps the entire nation....we have entered a very dangerous era for America...people need to understand that and civil defense measures must be enacted like never before.
US military strike against North Korea would be disastrous

This is t our first rodeo with ICBMs, nukes, and threats of total destruction. We dealt with it in the 50s and since.

We already have the capability to knock his play toys right out of the sky. The fat kid is a rank amateur in this game and is no threat to us.

Wrong at every level...the cold war pales in comparison to the N. Korean threat...as in we do not know how rational their leadership is. We do not have an effective anti-missile missile system....we could knock down some but no gurantee at all that we have any sort of capability to prevent a nuclear armed N. Korean missle hitting somewhere in America. You have made the first mistake in warfare...underestimating the enemy.

I am correct on every level. I don't understand why you want to ignore common sense, have you already sunk a bundle into building a bomb shelter?

 

[leftwinger]

Issue final warnings to NK and obammys Iran at the same time. Any military strike on innocents from your borders ( or ships, subs? ) co-alition will launch massive Nuke on Pyongyang or Tehran. have allies sign-on. End of problems.

End of games.

 

[OldLady]

As we know, there are no good answers here. We've let this go too far.

I'm still putting a lot of hope in Japan, South Korea & China, all of whom have direct interests in this.

I'm sure there's a lot going on behind the scenes, but Japan's recent aggressive comments were worrisome - maybe they see no progress being made either.
.

Japan will very likely go nuclear...in fact they could do it very quickly...in fact some say they have nukes already....anyhow---if the Japanese even threaten to develop nukes that might bring some pressure on China to help with N. Korea. South Korea is not even in the game...they are essentially hostages....understanding their vulnurability. Again....there is no peaceful solution in sight unless China can be persuaded it is in their best interests to help us neutralize N. Korea....so far that is not happening. One country you leave totally left out in your equation is Russia and they should definitely be included....they have a long history with N. Korea and a lot of influence there

Good stuff. I would think that China would have stomped on the fat kid's throat by now, and haven't they already begun some more sanctions?

I'm not seeing a lot of evidence that China has the pull we thought it did.
.

China has done nothing of a serious nature in regards to helping with N. Korea...as Trump said they just talk. You reveal a basic lack of understanding of China's game. First you must understand that China is not our friend and their basic motivation regarding N. Korea is that they see N. Korea as a tool to bring pressure on America to retreat from China's area of influence....that is China's goal. N. Korea no matter whan anyone says is a puppet state of China...China could slap them down anytime they wanted. The problem being the status quo is in China's interest ...as least in so far the way they perceive it.

They are banking on Trump not acting as in not conducting a pre-emptive strike on N. Korea...they do not believe he would...they believe he is bluffing. They may be right....but they also may be wrong.

We can only hope that if Trump does decide to strike first...he does so in a manner that would be completely destructive of the N. Korean state and in a manner that would be as fast as possible...meaning nukes.

If we were talking conventional weapons, I would agree he deserves a good whoopin'. However, bringing nukes in for a pre-emptive strike? Nope; if we do, we'll be destroyed and a good part of the planet within 24 hours. Not just bombed with a lot of survivors. Destroyed.

 

[PredFan]

I'm sorry, have we all lost our collective minds here? I mean I can almost forgive the millennial because they weren't alive back then and their education sucked, but I'm old enough to remember the Red Scare. How we were told that Russia had nukes pointed at each of our major cities and could wipe us out very quickly.

That was in the 50s and 60s. This isn't our first nuclear rodeo.

We have the capability to take out ICBMs shortly after they are launched and have had that ability for decades.

The little fat kid in NK is decades behind us. He is no threat.

 

[Sundance508]

Issue final warnings to NK and obammys Iran at the same time. Any military strike on innocents from your borders ( or ships, subs? ) co-alition will launch massive Nuke on Pyongyang or Tehran. have allies sign-on. End of problems.

End of games.

Oh that it were oh so simple...it would be a nice world. First of all N. Korea (i will not get into the different subject of Iran) has no interest in actually attacking us at this time...also there is no co-alition. The status quo is just fine with N. Korea and China ...meaning the ability to keep upgrading their weapons systems....now the 'mad doctrine' mutual assured destruction which you speak of and which seemed to work during the cold war as in Russia never attacked us may not be as successful with a rogue nation like N. Korea with a completely different world view or philosophy from the western world and from Russia as well...meaning they may not be as rational as we would want or expect in our Western thinking and world view. What they want and already have achieved to a certain extent is to be able to subject us to nuclear blackmail. The more time that goes by and the better their weapons systems become...the greater and greater threat they become...so your simplistic thinking solves nothing...at best it just kicks the can down the road as past administrations have done making it more and more difficult to deal with N. Korea.

Years ago, North Korea demanded a range of goodies from the United States by rattling its nuclear saber, and received them when the U.S. signed the so-called Agreed Framework. The Clinton administration took it upon itself to reach a negotiated settlement with Pyongyang, and America shouldered the mantle of attempting to enforce nonproliferation upon an unwilling "partner." For its efforts, the United States received a limited, and ultimately unsuccessful suspension of part of North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea later reneged on the deal.

 

[Taz]

I say attack them before they actually get real bombs to shoot at us.

 

[Sundance508]

I'm sorry, have we all lost our collective minds here? I mean I can almost forgive the millennial because they weren't alive back then and their education sucked, but I'm old enough to remember the Red Scare. How we were told that Russia had nukes pointed at each of our major cities and could wipe us out very quickly.

That was in the 50s and 60s. This isn't our first nuclear rodeo.

We have the capability to take out ICBMs shortly after they are launched and have had that ability for decades.

The little fat kid in NK is decades behind us. He is no threat.

You seem to live in a fantasy world...Unfortunately Russia had the ability back in the days of the cold war to wipe us out quickly and they still do...as well as China now.....but Russia being rather rational did not want to take the gamble and understood the doctrine of mutual assured destruction...however someone like Kim with a completely alien world view and possibly with psychiatric problems is a horse of a different color....cannot be equated with Russia at any level. The leader of the hermit kingdom aka a rogue state could possibly even be suicidal...a lot of unknowns in regards to him.

Where you got the totally mistaken idea that we have the capacity to take out ICBM's is beyond me. Now there is a possibility that we may have some electronical ability to occasionally sabotage one of their launches but that is not a comprehensive missile defense and there is no gaurantee that it even works though some do claim we have had some success with it...not known for sure though.

 

[Bush92]

'Has North Korea just developed an H-bomb for its missiles? They say they have and to deny it would be reckless...time and again we have seen the analysts wrong about the N. Korean military potential.

Yet...............Using nuclear weapons against North Korea is a terrible idea. More than 70 years after the first and only use of nuclear weapons in combat, it seems odd to have to put this in writing, but the past several weeks of heightened tensions with North Korea have made it a necessity.


As the crisis on the Korean peninsula deepens, voices calling for military action to halt North Korea’s nuclear programme have grown stronger and bolder. Last week, Kevin James, a research fellow from the London School of Economics, went a step further, writing that the administration should “nuke North Korea now: it’s the only option”. His argument is based on the assumption that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is an irrational actor, and that nuclear deterrence is a not an option.

This ignores a fundamental reality. The United States has been in a deterrence relationship with North Korea for decades.'

'Since the suspension of the Korean war in 1953, North Korea has held Seoul, the world’s fourth-largest metropolis, and home to roughly 25 million people, hostage. Pyongyang has thousands of artillery pieces trained on the South Korean capital, a mere 40km south of the border with North Korea. Shells fired from those batteries can reach their targets in roughly 45 seconds. That puts close to 35,000 US troops and 100,000 American civilians directly in harm’s way should a major conflict break out on the Korean peninsula.


To make matters worse, North Korea possesses one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world, and can deploy these toxins on an array of artillery shells and missiles. All of South Korea, Japan, and the vast majority of US military assets in the region are well within the range of these weapons. Within minutes of a US military strike, hundreds of these weapons would be launched at both civilian and military targets, inflicting devastating casualties, and causing significant delays in the arrival of American reinforcements to the Korean peninsula.

Thus realists understand there will be no U.S. military action against N. Korea....it is just bluster designed to eventually get a sit down with the N. Korean leader to negotiate some sort of arrangement....meaning we will have to live with a nuclear armed N. Korea. That is reality.'

Our only real hope of protection from N. Korea is to perfect a anti-missile system which may be years away.

In the meantime we should develp the best possible strike plan for N. Korea just in case they go absolutely nuts and launch an attack against the U.S. We must be prepared for the devastation that such an event would cause...definitely in S. Korea and Japan but very likely for our West Coast particuarly and perhaps the entire nation....we have entered a very dangerous era for America...people need to understand that and civil defense measures must be enacted like never before.
US military strike against North Korea would be disastrous

United Nations sanctions will not work because they are toothless. Working with China is useless because they are our enemy.

 

[Bush92]

I'm sorry, have we all lost our collective minds here? I mean I can almost forgive the millennial because they weren't alive back then and their education sucked, but I'm old enough to remember the Red Scare. How we were told that Russia had nukes pointed at each of our major cities and could wipe us out very quickly.

That was in the 50s and 60s. This isn't our first nuclear rodeo.

We have the capability to take out ICBMs shortly after they are launched and have had that ability for decades.

The little fat kid in NK is decades behind us. He is no threat.

You seem to live in a fantasy world...Unfortunately Russia had the ability back in the days of the cold war to wipe us out quickly and they still do...as well as China now.....but Russia being rather rational did not want to take the gamble and understood the doctrine of mutual assured destruction...however someone like Kim with a completely alien world view and possibly with psychiatric problems is a horse of a different color....cannot be equated with Russia at any level. The leader of the hermit kingdom aka a rogue state could possibly even be suicidal...a lot of unknowns in regards to him.

Where you got the totally mistaken idea that we have the capacity to take out ICBM's is beyond me. Now there is a possibility that we may have some electronical ability to occasionally sabotage one of their launches but that is not a comprehensive missile defense and there is no gaurantee that it even works though some do claim we have had some success with it...not known for sure though.

So you want to wait until there is a mushroom cloud over a major U.S. city? Real smart.

 

[Sundance508]

As we know, there are no good answers here. We've let this go too far.

I'm still putting a lot of hope in Japan, South Korea & China, all of whom have direct interests in this.

I'm sure there's a lot going on behind the scenes, but Japan's recent aggressive comments were worrisome - maybe they see no progress being made either.
.

Japan will very likely go nuclear...in fact they could do it very quickly...in fact some say they have nukes already....anyhow---if the Japanese even threaten to develop nukes that might bring some pressure on China to help with N. Korea. South Korea is not even in the game...they are essentially hostages....understanding their vulnurability. Again....there is no peaceful solution in sight unless China can be persuaded it is in their best interests to help us neutralize N. Korea....so far that is not happening. One country you leave totally left out in your equation is Russia and they should definitely be included....they have a long history with N. Korea and a lot of influence there

Good stuff. I would think that China would have stomped on the fat kid's throat by now, and haven't they already begun some more sanctions?

I'm not seeing a lot of evidence that China has the pull we thought it did.
.

China has done nothing of a serious nature in regards to helping with N. Korea...as Trump said they just talk. You reveal a basic lack of understanding of China's game. First you must understand that China is not our friend and their basic motivation regarding N. Korea is that they see N. Korea as a tool to bring pressure on America to retreat from China's area of influence....that is China's goal. N. Korea no matter whan anyone says is a puppet state of China...China could slap them down anytime they wanted. The problem being the status quo is in China's interest ...as least in so far the way they perceive it.

They are banking on Trump not acting as in not conducting a pre-emptive strike on N. Korea...they do not believe he would...they believe he is bluffing. They may be right....but they also may be wrong.

We can only hope that if Trump does decide to strike first...he does so in a manner that would be completely destructive of the N. Korean state and in a manner that would be as fast as possible...meaning nukes.

If we were talking conventional weapons, I would agree he deserves a good whoopin'. However, bringing nukes in for a pre-emptive strike? Nope; if we do, we'll be destroyed and a good part of the planet within 24 hours. Not just bombed with a lot of survivors. Destroyed.

And who would destroy us? Certainly not Russia and not likely that even China would respond with nukes...knowing our nuclear capabilities...you think any sane nation would attack us with nukes knowing they would be subjecting themselves to nuclear annihilation...makes no sense.

The problem with a conventional pre-emptive strike is that it would certainly bring China in...they have already said that if we strike first they will come to N. Koreas defense...they are thinking in terms of a conventional first strike.....but what I am saying is that if Trump nukes N. Korea then there would be nothing left there to defend....so China would not get involved...but if Trump conducts a conventional attack on N. Korea it is almost absolutely certain China would get involved militarily and very quickly...in fact some think China's military would love a limited sort of engagement with America to demonstrate their new modernized military capabilities.

 

[Bush92]

Russia and China would revell in the destruction of a U.S. city.