Should USA be seriously concerned about N Korea now?

[unbeliever 10]

Strange isn't it that the big old US didn't put North Korea on notice like they did Iran, I wonder why?

 

If Iran were a nuclear power and had a military alliance with China....

[geared 312]

People forget that the big fat man in charge is still a dictator, and like any other dictator has one over-riding fear.

 

Losing power.

 

They can develop a nuclear bomb, but in reality if they ever used it the Americans would flatten the place as they have a thousand nuclear bombs.

It's a no-win situation, and one that will certainly end in Kim loosing power, the one thing he holds most dear.

[LeMaquis 10]

Strange isn't it that the big old US didn't put North Korea on notice like they did Iran, I wonder why?

 

Not strange at all. North Korea doesn't let people in and out in the same way Iran does. It's a closed society. The US would further its own interests by encouraging emigrants from North Korea in order both to weaken the economy and regime and get intelligence on society there.

[blake 10]

The US hasn't put Iran 'on notice' anyway. Tr

 

Trump's foreign policy positions and statements have not been belligerent in any theater including the Middle East. He's keeping his cards, if he has any, close to his chest there.

 

Which wouldn't be unusual. Obama's foreign policy wasn't much if anything different to what George W. Bush's would have been either.

[glennpickard 10]

Someone mentioned that N. Korea had rights to overfly the UK. They don't. I don't believe they have access or overflight rights to any country in the EU.

 

Even their "Great leader" would not be foolish enough to fire at Japan and South Korea, knowing what could happen to Pyongyang and the N. Korean launch sites within 15 minutes.

 

All the rhetoric now, and the low level testing, is to try to ensure that the N. Korea dictatorship stays in place without invasion or foreign intervention

[apelike 10]

All the rhetoric now, and the low level testing, is to try to ensure that the N. Korea dictatorship stays in place without invasion or foreign intervention

 

And its also a big bargaining ploy for an ailing country in order to get aid and sanctions lifted.

[ANGELFIRE1 10]

According to the "eggspurt" interviewed on the wireless on all things N Korean, his theory was that N Korea would never nuke the USA for one simple reason. N Korea would not exist after the States had vaporised it in retaliation.

 

Seems logical to me, especially with the Donald in charge.

 

Angel1

[apelike 10]

According to the "eggspurt" interviewed on the wireless on all things N Korean, his theory was that N Korea would never nuke the USA for one simple reason. N Korea would not exist after the States had vaporised it in retaliation.

 

Seems logical to me, especially with the Donald in charge.

 

Angel1

 

Agreed. Its a similar situation to Iran's alleged bomb making, and now look what they have achieved by apparently stopping.

[geared 312]

Agreed. Its a similar situation to Iran's alleged bomb making, and now look what they have achieved by apparently stopping.

 

I don't see what it achieves though?

 

Start making bomb

Crushing sanctions, economy takes an absolute pasting, populous suffer

Stop making bomb

Sanctions lifted, economy improves, populous happy

 

How about just not making the bomb in the first place??

[unbeliever 10]

I don't see what it achieves though?

 

Start making bomb

Crushing sanctions, economy takes an absolute pasting, populous suffer

Stop making bomb

Sanctions lifted, economy improves, populous happy

 

How about just not making the bomb in the first place??

 

Make bomb. Thereafter do whatever you want and nobody can do much about it.

 

North Korea has made an arrangement with the west that we feed their people and in return they don't blow up South Korea and anybody else they can get at.

The PDRK government tells their people that we send the food in "tribute" to their leader because of how awesome he is.

As they don't have to run a real economy, they can continue to invest in better bombs and missiles.

[geared 312]

Since about 2009 the only country providing food aid to NK has been China.

Aid from the USA and from South Korea has all but stopped.

 

The reason for aid being stopped was because of the nuclear program, it won't start again until NK dismantles it.

From what I remember talks concerning the nuclear program haven't gone anywhere for quite some time.

 

---------- Post added 14-02-2017 at 16:50 ----------

 

Also on a different note, Kim's older brother has just been assassinated.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38971655

 

No prizes for guessing who is the number one suspect in this case.

[blake 10]

KLIA the location chosen for the assassination and the manner of the murder indicates an especially callous attitude. It's a confined space, one the busiest airports in Asia, bystanders could easily have been injured, of course brainwashed Marxist-Leninist murdering nutcases just don't care about anything like that. I'm sure the Malaysians would like to complain to somebody, like they surely would if Boris Johnson arranged to have Michael Gove killed in a public place on Malaysian soil, but of course they know that trying to make a complaint to the North Koreans is like picking up a telephone in the hope of talking to God.