They have no reason to first strike us, but the scary thing (if you care about people, including non-Americans) is that we have some reason to first strike them. KJU could very rationally decide to take a small chance that we will launch against him. He, and his closest allies in NK, probably dies if he loses power, so if he feels manufacturing danger keeps himself in power and he doesn't care about the masses, then perhaps he's rational to court the danger.

Someone here could estimate that there's a small chance NK does a first strike and we have to prevent it at almost any cost. We could probably engage all our cyber tactics to disrupt their response, all our missile intercept systems, hit them with like 50 nukes, thousands of cruise missiles and tens of thousands of conventional bombs all at the same time and they'd be relatively unlikely to hit us and maybe not even destroy Seoul. It wouldn't be hard for someone to imagine that doing this would make any other country like Iran much more cooperative about giving up its weapons program (may or may not be true, but they just have to think it). A handful of people could make this happen and at the top is an idiot with no empathy.

The scariest thing to me is all the idiots on my FB feed who are like "We have to strike now!" - especially considering POTUS is basically one of them. When I ask them what about the 10s of millions of dead N and S Koreans they either don't answer or mutter something about striking so fast N Korea can't get off any strikes. Madness.

You'll know when the admin really does want to strike N. Korea by when they start enlisting the Judith Millers of the world to write scary nuke pieces and heart-tugging pieces about atrocities in the work camps (we must kill millions of N Koreans to save 1000s suffering in camps). They don't seem to be doing that at the moment, so I'm guessing no one really wants to attack N Korea right now.

This might be naive, but I think there's a glimmer of hope that Trump knows that he's a joke, a reality TV host, putting on a show, and that he has no business making this kind of decision.

There's no averting the climate change denial though.

Agree. Don't see NK doing a first strike. Or I can't fathom a reason knowing that he and his country are finished.

We probably lost the chance to do a preemptive strike.

Now we just watch them build more and stronger weapons.

At some point though, there could be an accident or misunderstanding.

Not sure where their end goal is...if that even exists. It seems there are bent on displaying their weaponry for fear tactics and media attention. It is working!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I guess KJU could want the international attention, but I'd guess it's more for internal reasons.

While it's probably unlikely anyone gets nuked now over this I'm not so sure that humanity's chances are good in even the medium term and that Fermi's paradox is just explained by some technology killing most of us. Don't tell my children I said that.

What's the chance KJU is actually being held hostage by generals?

If reports of their army starving is true then I believe KJU could do something rash.

If the army is starving maybe they could do something rash...

One person or family is not the problem. Leaders are products of their environment. It's true in North Korea and in USA. Wiping out the top leadership doesn't change the system.

Well, he is their divine leader and God. He has actually done a decent job PR wise. He has paralyzed our entirely military strategy. If any other countries seriously threatened our mainland, we would take them out. With NK, they are building (and perhaps have) a weapon capable of reaching us with their stated intention of using it. We are banking on them bluffing but also seem really concerned.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_to_America

You think North Korea cares what their population wants?

Hint: I think mostly that would be food.

To be fair I think its like 250,000.

The entire nation is one giant prison camp. It's really an extraordinary humanitarian crisis that's been underaddressed.

Yeah, also that.

the "kill them with kindness" approach looks better and better

more food, more medical supplies, etc.

How though? Random air drops? My understanding is that just sending things through government approved channels gets cherry picked by the elite and whatever is left over goes to the general populace as the government sees fit.

They should take thousands of football t-shirt canons and just bombard the perimeter with sacks of food and encyclopedias.

Aren't air drops likely to 'provoke' Kim into shooting one down?

Yes. So would t-shirt cannons I'd imagine.

Yeah, it should be a pretty clear line that if people are restricted from leaving a country that the gov is not internationally recognized as legit.

Yup. NK's air defenses are surprisingly strong.

Media is increasingly sneaking into NK. Blackmarket DVDs for one thing.

http://www.npr.org/2017/07/05/534742...y-do-it-anyway

That US citizens are on Facebook calling for ww3 I suspect there is brainwashing over there as well.
You are right, they got you, as Pepe explains, it's because of China:

A China-North Korea mutual defense treaty has been in effect since 1961. Under this framework, Beijing’s response to Trump’s “fire and fury” was a thing of beauty. If Pyongyang attacks, China is neutral. But if the US launches a McMaster-style pre-emptive attack, China intervenes – militarily – on behalf of Pyongyang.

As a clincher, Beijing even made it clear that its preference is for the current status quo to remain. Checkmate.

Https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/08...ding-war-trap/

An excellent analysis, the parallel with Afghanistan and how both projects are about Chinese expansionism of trade and infrastructure and the US desperately clinging to late 20th century style dominance.

Reverse psychology maybe? Befriend North Korea and let Russia and China decide to destroy them.