"Now what are you gonna do about it?"

[chequita guevara]

It's easy to play Russian roulette when the bombs will fall on the RoK and Japan. Plus, they have a missile which might very well be able to hit Alaska and Hawaii, and maybe even the mainland.

[Giancarlo]

Chegitz, you forget to mention they don't even know if these missiles have half decent tracking devices... chances are they will drop off into the pacific ocean.

[Q Classic]

nobody lives in alaska, and in hawaii, it's only more koreans, chinese, and japanese. it's all keeping it in the family, of sorts.

most of mine might not end up surviving, but hey, doesn't matter when the honor and glory of america is ensured, nee mwhc?

did the relatively easy victory of iraq make you confident and uppity? that's good. you'll need that confidence, because nkorea won't fold faster than iraq. our tanks and our mechanized infantry won't be as effective in nkorea--nkorea isn't, how shall we put this...er...flat. our planes and our navies won't be as effective because we don't have as good intelligence.
perhaps the only thing we have going for us is that everybody hates kim jong il...

[Q Classic]

that is, except the nkorean military themselves.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Fez
Chegitz, you forget to mention they don't even know if these missiles have half decent tracking devices... chances are they will drop off into the pacific ocean.

Nice of you to take chances with Honalulu and Ancorage. Maybe they will fall into the Pacific, and maybe they'll hit they're target.

The only thing we know for sure is, that stupid missile shield sure ain't gonna shoot it down. I just hope the Administration rememers it doesn't work yet. But I can see those ideologues thinking we're immune to DPRK retaliation.

[Giancarlo]

Just an interesting link:

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/index.html

Probably doesn't say too much but it provides background.

[Q Classic]

the us might well be immune to it.

not so them yellow-skinned/bellied people.

that was a sarcastic comment.

[My Wife Hates CIV]

if they even have a nuke. which they probably do not. i would think if they did they would test it as soon as possible. just to show the world they really do have the capability.

i'm saying hit them so hard in the first 15 minutes that they CAN'T respond. If they do manage to launch any kind of missile than the US would knock it down.

why wait?! why wait for a NK with dozens of bombs?? remember - iraq and saddam are no longer an issue. taken care of forever.

[chequita guevara]

Neither Pakistan nor India tested their bombs. Pakistan traded reprocessing technology to the DPRK for missile tech.

What was it about Hussein giving away WMDs? Idjits run my government.

[My Wife Hates CIV]

iraq never had WMD. probably will never find any. the real reason for that war was to send a single and take some central land in the middle east. worked out pretty good i think.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by My Wife Hates CIV
i'm saying hit them so hard in the first 15 minutes that they CAN'T respond. If they do manage to launch any kind of missile than the US would knock it down.

Within minutes of a US strike, downtown Seoul would start raining shells. Even if the US could shoot down the nukes, a million dead Koreans are nothing to pooh-pooh.

[Q Classic]

paki and indi did both test their bombs.

nkorea won't fall in the first 15 minutes... with so many hardened arty installations that we don't know of...

[GePap]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
I thought that it was because he didn't believe that Iraq was a big enough threat to justify military action. According the what I've read, he never bought into the WMD excuse for the invasion.

Mearshimer felt that the WMD threat did not warrant the costs of the war in terms of diplomatic broken eggs and unintended consequences in the region vis a vi the terrorist threat.

i'm saying hit them so hard in the first 15 minutes that they CAN'T respond. If they do manage to launch any kind of missile than the US would knock it down.

The only minor (read..HUGE) problem with this notion is that it would take months to move all the airpower needed to even attempt such an act, and the North Koreans would not be blind to the immense buildup. Plus, the NK is much better prepared than the hapless Iraqis.

The NK would be unlikely to aim for the US: just hit Japan. Closer and a big fat target: think how many would die with a hit on downtown Tokyo...

Fez:
you are correct: China is now South Korea's biggest trade partner and China has been imporving relations with them drastically in the last few years. China has 0 interest in any war in the Korean peninsula, since they only lose from such a situation (lose money invested in SK, lose SK investment, scares away other investors, flood of NK refugees into Manchuria).

[Giancarlo]

Is it right to say $40 billion? That is the number I heard... China might end up doing a joint invasion with the US of North Korea... now that will be something. China could face a devastating economic hit with any war between the Koreas.

[GePap]

Well, that might be the amount of trade between them..I don't know how much money China invest overseas, I do know the South Koreans do invest heavily in China.

I think China wants a tight lid on the whole Korea situation since they only can lose if anyting happens there.