That’s just your take. US/ROK war games are announced well in advance. It’s hardly “trumpeting” them to make sure everybody knows the games are still on and additional military hardware isn’t an heretofore unannounced escalation in military hardware, especially when tensions are high.
It’s worse the other way:
A: So, why are you flying those B-52s over South Korea?
B: They’re part of these war games.
A: So, why didn’t you announce you were sending them? Did you want them a secret?
B: We did announce them. I guess you weren’t paying attention.
A: There’s a serious situation right now. Do you think we have time to pay attention to every little thing?!
With your POV, there’s no winning. The US reminds everybody = “trumpeting” their military assets. No reminder = unprovoked military aggression.
The point of announcing it is to make crystal clear to North Korea that we are in fact willing to respond with military force should they actually decide to carry out any of their crazy threats. If they attack South Korea, there WILL be war.
And why do you think we have any interest in keeping things moderate? North Korea is using the threat of aggressive first use of nuclear weapons to try to extort economic aid from the outside world. Long-term that sort of blackmail is not tolerable, because rocket science ain’t exactly rocket science, if you get my meaning. Right now North Korea doesn’t have intermediate-range or long-range missile capabilities and so they can’t carry out their threats, but they’re going to succeed in developing them sooner or later. From the US standpoint, if the Kim regime has to fall violently, better it fall now. (And I suspect China shares the same view. I’m unaware of any missile guidance system that can only fly a missile in one direction. Any missile that can hit the US or Japan can hit China.)
North Korea has its ass in a crack. Any economic modernization threatens the continued existence of the cult of Kim, because such modernization will inevitably require more contact with the outside world. They’re not going to be able to keep the average North Korean thoroughly brainwashed if they follow that path, so economic modernization is out, at least as far as the current leadership is concerned. Begging only works for so long; eventually the other nations of the world are going to reply with the equivalent of “Why don’t you just get a job?”. That leaves blackmail. And blackmail is a tricky thing to get right: if you don’t threaten your target enough, it doesn’t work - but if you overplay your hand, your target becomes motivated to do whatever is required to end the extortion permanently rather than just pay up.
If the current Kim was a wise leader, he’d follow the path of Gorbachev and initiate a program of economic modernization in spite of the risk to his rule. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. At best we’re going to see North Korea keep bellowing impotent threats until the country undergoes a total economic collapse. At worst, he’s going to succeed in starting a war. And there’s not a lot we can do to influence the situation either way, as we simply CAN’T afford to keep giving Kim what he wants now that he’s made nuclear threats.
You’re claiming that the United States is the primary cause for the problems that exist in North Korea. I’m saying that the North Korean government is the primary cause for the problems that exist in North Korea.
You’ve found one of the flaws of the $2 billion dollar per plane B-2 program. The ability to project power directly from CONUS to any corner of the globe faster than you could deploy a carrier was one of the justifications dreamed up to continue the program after its original Cold War role was no longer there. Parking an aircraft carrier off the coast of a nation sends a message by its physical presence; you don’t even have to announce it. The other nation is going to know its there. Alas, it’s easy to forget the physical presence of 20 bombers parked in the middle of the Missouri. The only way for the B-2 to be used as a diplomatic tool as much as a military tool the same way the carrier has been is to do something this ham handed.
It’s a friendly reminder to the North Korean leadership in case they do not wish to commit suicide. Something along the lines of -
*Dear Mr. Kim -
In case you were thinking of continuing to draw breath, keep in mind that the US has planes your radar won’t be able to detect. So we can bomb the shit out of you in case you get stroppy, and you won’t be able to do anything about it except get scattered into little pieces of kimchi.
Love and kisses,
The USA
*
And Hallmark didn’t have a card like that.
Dr Strangelove. “The whole point of the doomsday machine is lost if you keep it a secret!” [cries] “Why didn’t you tell the world? Eh?"
I would also think that a reminder like that is needed as NK also sees the news about sequestration affecting military expenses, this could had been done to show that the US is not making cuts to the B-2 program.
US, under the guide of war games, sends an implicit message to Un that they can’t win
Sends a message to Un and his military that we flew it in SK and the North presumably had no idea it was there without the public announcement. It’s very difficult to kill what you can’t see.
So, US flies B-2 bomber in near proximity of NK and that’s a message that NK should choose peace? Because nothing spells peace better than the most advanced bomber ever made.
Flyover is a friendly move. Nothing to worry about. We just happen to be there and those a-hole North Koreans are the real troublemakers.
Got it. Carry on… what channel is American Gladiator on?
But, seriously… what’s with attacking all these piss-poor countries around the world? I mean, seriously, isn’t there something better to do? Like Katrina mess or something? Do average Americans really think that… oh, sorry… I should stop right here… do above average Americans really think that NK is hell bent on harming them? Beyond ridiculous …
Yes. It’s a message that they can’t compete on a military level with the countries that would oppose them if they did something aggressive and crazy. I think they know that already, but who knows. North Korea has been threatening everybody lately, so in that sense maybe a nonviolent reminder is a good idea.
No. They think North Korea is run by a bunch of very nice people. Those very nice people periodically kill South Koreans for no particular reason and sell nuclear technology to other countries on the black market and have been threatening to nuke America lately, but really, they’re very nice and it’s wrong to pick on them.
Do I think North Korea is hellbent on harming Americans? No. Do I think this is a situation that needs to be taken very seriously? Yes. That’s not unreasonable or unfair, nor is it deserving of a “don’t you have something better to do?” type of response.
No, sir, I’m trying to explain that North Korea holds the US responsible for the problems that exist in North Korea. Please don’t confuse my reporting of someone’s opinion with my own opinion.
I agree that most of the NK mess is the responsibility of the NK, however, our lack of understanding has at times made things worse rather than better. Assuming the other guy will react as you would, as you hope they would, is a recipe for disaster at times.
For another example - prior to Pearl Harbor the Japanese command thought that if they struck a decisive blow the US would stay out of the Pacific and let Japan do what Japan wanted. Boy, were they wrong.
So, maybe we should try to understand how the DPRK views the world no matter how f’d up and wrong we think their viewpoint is so that we are less likely to start a war by accident, or use good intentions to pave the road to hell.
So what are the alternatives? Invasion? How well is that working out in Iraq and Afghanistan where, by the way, the population was NOT indoctrinated from birth that Americans are evil incarnate? You really think it would work out better in North Korth.
Bombing campaign? Wow, let’s give them an excuse to use those nukes, right? Want to explain to Seoul and Japan and the other near neighbors why they get to eat-drink-breath nuclear fallout for awhile.
Moderation maintains a status quo that doesn’t involve the death of millions. I don’t have any interest in starting another shooting war whether conventional or nuclear.
Nope, the problem here is ignoring that we are dealing with an old fashion dictator, I can remember several times when Hitler grasped at straws to convince himself and his henchmen that his enemies were on the run or failing.
The point should be that in a reasonable environment this idea of seeing one side weak because of recent economical problems should be dismissed as we are aware of how big and advanced the military of the US is, but I think that the internal propaganda machine in NK is ignoring the big picture by design, they are convincing themselves to follow a very dangerous path based on propaganda that also adds reports of Americans not having much interest on going to war after Iraq. I do think that this is just about the only time when ham fist shows like that one should be considered to tell the megalomaniac to look at something else besides their own propaganda.
Oh, there’s no question that SK and the U.S. could win a war with NK quickly. Just not quickly enough to avoid a whole lot of civilian deaths, especially in Seoul.
Just why are Americans always hard-pressed to compare any little dud to Hitler? Even though it’s funny - when some compare Obama to Hitler then same people who would LOL at that give serious consideration to NK leader comparison to Hitler.
Why not someone who might be closer to NK situation? Say… Ceausescu? There’s more argument to be made that NK is at the level of Romania in 1980’s than at the level of 1938 Germany, no?
Dialling down rhetoric should be a good advice to both sides.
I don’t think you really know how to use that point.
Sorry, but I laughed at attempts at comparing Obama and even Chavez with Hitler. Once again the reason why I raised a comparison was with the propaganda machine they used, not what they did.
As we are dealing with following your own propaganda, that applies too.
As it is also making steps at not missing a point.