I do often wonder how much real information KJU or any of the DPRK leaderships has about the outside world; and especially of their relationship to it. I wonder if, by this generation, any of them has a screaming chance at an accurate perspective.
Truly though, if I found myself in that position, and did have any real perspective, I might well conclude that the only way out was to start a war with a larger entity. And I would choose the US/South Korea, because I would be fairly well certain that China would be nearly as oppressive a Government as the current one.
Does it seem NK is going off the whacko-meter these days, or is it just being scrutinized and reported more? And that pudgy little cherub normally seems like such a little schoolboy that I’m wondering which of the generals is really issuing all of these statements for him.
I think the DPRK isn’t any more “crazy” now than in the past, I just think that since they’ve demonstrated actual nuclear bombs more attention is being paid to them.
I’ve been trying to do a little research on the DPRK of late and really, this is just more of the same but with a bigger (now atomic) stick. Their societal system is very different than ours and thus initially it doesn’t make sense to us. There is a certain internal logic to it all, though, as well as some very draconian means of enforcing the status quo. Every year they raise a fuss and make threats when the South Koreans and US engage in joint military exercises. They been threatening to turn the US capital into a “sea of fire” since at least the early 1980’s.
The US media is just reporting more on it lately.
That doesn’t mean they should be ignored. The DPRK has, after all, shelled various bits of South Korea and sunk a ship or two. Their threats aren’t entirely empty. They have a real army, real weapons, and now real nuclear bombs. The world does need to keep an eye on them.
? WHy? That is exactly what seems to happen. Make a big hoorah about something to distract the populace from a negative something. It happened all the time in the US and Britain in both WW1 and WW2 - huge pisser about needing whatever for the war effort, so we are going to ration the food, fuel, tires and clothing for the war effort.
Actually to be pretty honest, the US could have pushed production upwards of many items that were rationed very easily - we did not need to ration meat, sugar or flour. There actually were closed mines and soil banked farmland that could have been put into greater production, and sugar came from the Caribbean, not southern Pacific rim or Africa or Europe.
But I don’t understand. Bill Clinton sent Jimmy Carter to North Korea back in the early 90s and Kim Jong Il PROMISED Carter that there would be NO nuclear weapons in North Korea. Jimmy Carter believed that…golly gee whiz! So to be fair and balanced:
George W. Bush said that there would be WMDs in Iraq, but there weren’t. And LOOK where we are TODAY!
Jimmy Carter said that North Korea would have NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and Bill Clinton believed him because Carter believed Kim Jong-Il. And LOOK where we are TODAY!
BBC TV just said unconfirmed reports of heavy military activity is being detected around North Korean missile launch sites. “Sharply increased movements of military troops and vehicles and an overall combat-readiness.” CNN is saying rockets are being readied. Quotes the Little Runt as saying “The time has come to settle accounts with the US.” What’s this little bastard think he’s doing?
So what happens when one of our spysats discovers that they’re topping off the fuel tanks on their rocket collection? Assuming they’re liquid-ox or something we can actually determine they’re preparing for launch?
Will we send in the B-2’s (stealth bombers) with conventional care packages to calm them down? Do we have anything in the neighborhood that can take out a rocket while it’s still low and slow if we decide to wait until they’re lit for absolute justification?
Anything aimed overseas (Japan, Guam, USA) can possibly be shot down by an Aegis Cruiser if one happens to be in the line of flight. Key word “possibly”. Then you’d be looking at ground based interceptors beyond that.
But yeah, activity at their missile sites is increasing.
I’d say “no”. We’re not going to be the ones that break the ceasefire - and fueling a rocket isn’t an act of war.
Plus, I’d guess any ‘calming’ action we take would result in a massive NK test firing of their artillery - just to see if it really is as well aimed at Seoul and other SK targets as they think it is. You know, just as a counter-calming action.
