# Obama being tested-How Should he Respond? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 10, 2009, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947 "2009-03-10T13:03:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/1 "2009-03-10T13:03:44Z")
The Chinese are harassing a US Navy spy ship. N. Korea wants to launch a satellite (and warns of retaliation if interfered with). the Russians are saying that they will "not haggle’ with the USA. An Iran announces more uranium enrichement. It is obvious that Obama is being tested. My question: should he respons aggressively? How about backing aaway-might that be the best way to relax tensions? To the Chinese, it would signal acceptance (of their proto-superpower status), to the N. Koreans, it would assuage their paranoia, as for Russia, the same. what is your take? I think an aggressive response would be the wong thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/2 "2009-03-10T13:58:00Z")
The Chinese are harassing a US Navy spy ship. We need more details. Maybe the US ship is harrassing them. I have no idea who is right or wrong. If indeed the Chinese are harassing a US ship without provocation then a protest is in order. Not a declaration of war. N. Korea wants to launch a satellite - What’s wrong with that? the Russians are saying that they will "not haggle’ with the USA. What’s wrong with that? Just tell them our prices are final too and we give no discounts. An Iran announces more uranium enrichement. This is a matter of international treaties and should be settled with the international community. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/3 "2009-03-10T14:01:06Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > N. Korea wants to launch a satellite - What’s wrong with that? It’s in violation of UN Sanctions, which would and do prevent them from (researching? or) testing Ballistic technology. The difference between a missile and Satellite launch system – the warhead. > [@sailor](#): > > An Iran announces more uranium enrichement. This is a matter of international treaties and should be settled with the international community. And bombs, big, big bombs! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/4 "2009-03-10T14:10:17Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > It’s in violation of UN Sanctions, which would and do prevent them from (researching? or) testing Ballistic technology. > > The difference between a missile and Satellite launch system – the warhead. > > And bombs, big, big bombs! 😛 The UN might want its sanctions to do those things. The sanctioned country is under no obligation to oblige them. It can demand they cut their missile launches but that and a 5 dollars will get you a coffee at Starbucks. Anyways - the UN is threatening more sanctions. Difficult to see what can be done except more negotiations. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/5 "2009-03-10T14:19:41Z")
[He should get angry.](http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/the-rock-obama/1056126/) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/6 "2009-03-10T14:37:41Z")
Obama should respond firmly but not aggressively. Backing down is a bad move. Danegeld isn’t a good idea, either. I’d like to see him do something inventive, like sending a bunch of C47s over North Korea and having them drop tonnes of manure on the capital. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/7 "2009-03-10T15:09:45Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Obama should respond firmly but not aggressively. Backing down is a bad move. Danegeld isn’t a good idea, either. > > I’d like to see him do something inventive, like sending a bunch of C47s over North Korea and having them drop tonnes of manure on the capital. 🙂 Okay. I’d pay money to see that. 🙂 It’s going to a a long game with people like this and sometimes we might just have to accept the limitations of our power. Only the Chinese have any real prospect of influencing them and that will come with a price. The nuclear genie is out the bottle unfortunately. And when it comes down to it they have every right to their own space program regardless of what we think they might do with the launch vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/8 "2009-03-10T15:37:21Z")
> [@tagos](#): > > The nuclear genie is out the bottle unfortunately. It is kind of tough to keep 1940’s technology from spreading. It was never a realistic goal. > [@](#): > > And when it comes down to it they have every right to their own space program regardless of what we think they might do with the launch vehicle. I don’t know about that, but I think it is better left to the judgment of their neighbors (e.g., China, South Korea) than the US, unless it is a UN issue. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/9 "2009-03-10T16:27:59Z")
Haven’t we given n. korea several BILLION $ of food and oil so that they would play nice? Why are we falling for this act, over and over? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/10 "2009-03-10T18:22:32Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > The Chinese are harassing a US Navy spy ship. We need more details. Maybe the US ship is harrassing them. I have no idea who is right or wrong. If indeed the Chinese are harassing a US ship without provocation then a protest is in order. Not a declaration of war. A few stories about it. [One.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7933171.stm) [Two.](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aUMS9YLJ2OmM&refer=asia) [Three.](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090309/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_china_incident) ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/11 "2009-03-10T18:32:47Z")
Tell Iran that if they get a nuke, I mean just HAVE one we nuke Qom. If they go for two we nuke Tehran as well. Tell Russia, “Ok then.”, and work to accelerate the missile defense shield program. Send a flight of F-18s over the ships that are harassing the US surveillance ship. Have these flights continue unless China backs off. Get the USNS Impeccable out of those waters and send a couple of submarines to do the surveillance instead. If they act aggressively make sure the F-18s fly close enough to the ships that people are knocked over by the Jetwash. Tell North Korea that we will launch one of our ALREADY working satellite delivery systems at their launch platform the day before it’s scheduled to launch. Obama should definitely have a soft hand in foreign policy and be willing to take a lot, but let them know that we will bring the hammer down. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/12 "2009-03-10T18:43:21Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Tell Iran that if they get a nuke, I mean just HAVE one we nuke Qom. If they go for two we nuke Tehran as well. And welcome to economic collapse when the whole world embargoes us. And the destruction of what reputation we have left, since we’ll have proven ourselves to be far, far worse than the Iranians. ---
**Author:** ![kenner116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@kenner116](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenner116)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/13 "2009-03-10T19:00:57Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Tell Iran that if they get a nuke, I mean just HAVE one we nuke Qom. If they go for two we nuke Tehran as well. Great idea. :rolleyes: After Qom is gone, they would send that nuke (and/or other conventional missiles) to Tel Aviv. I’m sure Israelis would be grateful towards us for starting a regional war. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/14 "2009-03-10T19:15:11Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And welcome to economic collapse when the whole world embargoes us. I don’t think that would happen. Parts of the world would collectively crap themselves, others would breathe a sigh of relief. But if he’s going to nuke Iran, he should do it before they get the bomb. And if he is going to use nukes, he should nuke Iran’s nuclear sites, not population centres. But I’d rather nukes weren’t used at all. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/15 "2009-03-10T19:36:27Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I don’t think that would happen. Since that’s the most practical means of retaliation, I think it would. And retaliation would be necessary for political survival of much, probably most of the world’s governments. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/16 "2009-03-10T19:47:11Z")
There’s nothing wrong with any of this except maybe for China harrassing a US spy ship. Get the ship out of there. Problem solved. The N. Korean satellite doesn’t matter. Let them launch it. Iran’s nuclear program doesn’t matter either. Threatening to nuke them is absurd. Iran already knows that any aggressive use of nukes (aganis, say, Israel) would mean its own instant extinction. Plus, I think Iran has the same right to defend itself as anyone else does. What gives Israel any more right to nukes than Iran? Russia’s stance on haggling can be haggled with. What Obama needs to avoid is overreaction. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/17 "2009-03-10T19:52:17Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Since that’s the most practical means of retaliation, I think it would. And retaliation would be necessary for political survival of much, probably most of the world’s governments. I disagree. Europe would applaud, if from behind the scenes. Arabia wouldn’t like it. China wouldn’t care. Australia has little interest. Few give a shit about Sub-Saharan Africa. Northern Africa would be shit-scared. South America doesn’t really matter either. Pakistan isn’t important. That leaves India and Russia, and I really don’t know there. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/18 "2009-03-10T20:00:49Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I disagree. Europe would applaud, if from behind the scenes. Arabia wouldn’t like it. China wouldn’t care. Australia has little interest. Few give a shit about Sub-Saharan Africa. Northern Africa would be shit-scared. South America doesn’t really matter either. Pakistan isn’t important. That leaves India and Russia, and I really don’t know there. I think you are wrong. I think that nearly everyone would care that we deal with people whose main sin is not grovelling properly to America by killing cities in an unprovoked attack. Look how the world reacted to the war in Iraq, and that wasn’t nearly as bad as this would be. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/19 "2009-03-10T20:10:53Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I think you are wrong. I think that nearly everyone would care that we deal with people whose main sin is not grovelling properly to America by killing cities in an unprovoked attack. Look how the world reacted to the war in Iraq, and that wasn’t nearly as bad as this would be. The difference being that the wars required continued political support and loss of native lives. This, not at all. No British, Australian, American, Canadian, etc, lives need be lost. Which isn’t to say I condone/agree, I just don’t think the political backlash would be as bad as you think. Keep in mind, much of the world **needs** the USA. Breadbasket and whatnot. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947/20 "2009-03-10T20:17:45Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > Which isn’t to say I condone/agree, I just don’t think the political backlash would be as bad as you think. Keep in mind, much of the world **needs** the USA. Breadbasket and whatnot. I don’t think most people would care. They’d be far too angry, and afraid. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-being-tested-how-should-he-respond/488947.md?page=2)