I’m assuming nuclear weapons would negatively affect the environment (which is already being ****ed more and more by the day), do the rich just really care about this lifetime and say **** it to their grandkids and future generations?

If they kill all the poor people then they are no longer wealthy.

Avocados don't pick themselves. iPhones don't assemble themselves. Not yet anyway.

No ideas other then the thing you dont seem to like in your post which is more "negotiations" and putting pressure on them and others who can pressure them. Same old same old.

They have nukes and will have some that can hit us it looks like and it does not seem anything is going to stop them short of a war. So it looks like the choice is war or a nuclear armed NK which can hit us. The second one seems better.

We may be seeing the moment of turn-down in tension in the current cycle.

North Korea Reopens Border Hotline with South

I am advocating more pressure and I believe since China does 90% of NK's trade and are their comrade in arms, China seems best equiped to exert maximum leverage SHOULD THEY CARE TO AND DEEM IT AS IN THEIR BEST NATIONAL INTEREST. Which is why I believe Trump's "dick swiging" plays into making China actually believe we WOULD launch a first strike of some capacity. I am quite sure they don't want EMP weapons lighting up near their borders which would absolutely be the opening salvo of any attack on NK.

I prefer "negotiations" any time but there have been talks since 1953, since 1994 and the Noble Peace Prize winner had 8 long year to "negotiate". I assume he was interested in the protection of the American homeland and since He didn't have much success negotiating, I'm having difficulty seeing how "negotiating" with NK virtually on the 6 inch line readying to punch it over the goal line in the next 6 months will lead anywhere without a huge change in the status quo. I believe a motivated China is the best avenue to stopping NK at this time.

NK is now opening superficial talks with the south which certainly looks all the part of the Dean Smith 4 Corner Offense designed to run out the clock til they perfect their re-entry vehicle and any other technical difficulties they might have to be a substantive truly existential threat to the US mainland. I think you fellows are very Pollyannish if you think now on the 6 inch line they are serious about negotiating.


I really don't agree. I believe China CAN intervene if they care to. NK really has no need for nukes. They have 20,000,000 SK hostages under artillery range conventionally and NO American president can Nuke NK without NK being an existential threat to the American homeland. If the Kim family stays in their box we have absolutely no concern with them. They aren't strong enough to run down the peninsula with 30,000 plus US military "hostages" there guaranteeing the US joining SK in the case of invasion from the north.

However... if Kim is interested in "reuniting" the peninsula he has to remove the 30,000 US troop and threatening the American mainland seems the least costly way.

A year from now this scenario becomes a real possibility.

That last part is not a possibility. As far as putting more pressure on China to stop them. Ok.

You can say it over and over that it will work. But the reality is they will be able to hit us soon because China is not going to stop them at thins point.

Oh and putting more pressure on China is a part of negotiations or our diplomacy any which way. I know you want more of it.

Why is it not a possibility??? Because you say so???


That may or may not be true. I believe China has the leverage to accomplish this should they see it in their best interest.... we merely need to make them understand they are better off with a tame NK than a possibly virulent one.

I teach Chinese kids and adults English over the net every day and have taught > 5,000 lessons in the past 11 months to over 2,000 different people. That means I have "looked" into a couple of thousand upper middle class to wealthy homes. Generally they are quite nice but literally 95% of the kids I teach are wearing goose down type ski parkas indoors.... literally. They heat their homes minimally and don't tell me it is a cultural thing because they like fresh air. I have asked. If there is a trade war, their economy won't do well and there will be unrest. The powers that be probably don't want to risk that.

We aren't without arrows in our quiver.

Hey... Trump has been negotiating with Xi for 11 months.... I support it if it comes to an adequate conclusion.

Such poor analogies. Comparing NK to Panama is so full of fail.

When America was the only intact world power in 1950 we couldn't subdue NK... what makes anyone think we want to do that now if they are not an existential threat to us????

We aren't going to risk "Fidel-ing" Kim because all he has to do when we fail is lob 1,000 artillery shells at Seoul and say good bye to 20,00 civilians.

We certainly can incinerate him, his regime and his people, but short of him fueling missiles for a first strike, I can't imagine that.

Because it makes no sense. It would be all over for North Korea if they moved on the South in an attempt to remove out troops. Nukes that can reach us or not.

What do you really think when they get nukes that can hit us they will move on the South and try to remove our troops?
He aint stopping them no matter who much wish casting is done. But alright.

Not what I said. I said... or meant to say... once they have the capability to drop say 50,000,000 casualties on us all they have to say is we want one unified Korean peninsula and we are invading in 30 days.... if you don't leave the blood of 30,000 American troops will be on your hands and if you shoot one pea shooter across the border say hello to 50,000,000 casualties.

Please tell me President Bernie or Fauxcahontis or Obama or likely even Trump don't withdraw under that scenario...

I'd prefer not to indulge in that sort of game of cosmic chicken under that set of circumstances

That make no sense. If they did that it would be all over for them and they know that so wont do it.

No we would not withdraw if they did that. We would go to war.
Prefer has nothing to do with nothing. Id prefer everyone end their nuke programs. But if you are going to call Warren Fauxcahontis this convo is over. Our future ones too. I mean as far as me reaming civil and not being as ass to you.

nh your posting in this thread is just getting worse and worse. Just stop.

You blame the "Noble" Peace Prize winner for not doing anything, claim Trump has been negotiating with China for the last 11 months and now come in hot with the "Fauxcahontis"

It's possible that the Trump administration has, by accident or design, successfully used the Nixonian 'Madman Theory' against China and North Korea to force a climbdown. Simulating this type thing.




(The West's enemies believe they can always exploit the West's reasonableness, so suggesting that the US president has gone a little crazy, with annihilating forces at his disposal, may unsettle them. The Nixon administration used this tactic to put pressure on Russia and China to restart Vietnam peace talks in 1969. Unfortunately Nixon really was a little crazy, and often drunk, so Kissinger, the defence secretary and the Joint Chiefs had to give orders that, when he asked for the codes, he should just be ignored.)

https://www.politico.com/magazine/st...d-nixon-215478

So 4 of the last 6 Republican Presidents have been crazy, morons, or both. Nice party.

Really top notch negotiating going on.

Trump being a piece of **** has resulted in South Korea taking more initiative here, which is good. SK could make some progress here. Unfortunately for me in Los Angeles ICBMs won't be their priority.

'our foolish past leaders' lol
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/bu...-a8046191.html

This is the thing with Trump, at least in rhetorical terms, he thrives on the failure of mainstream politics, the 'angry, marginalised voice of american working and middle class', promised the earth but disenfranchised by Obama and the rest of the liberal elite yada yada. As Obama the epitome of identity politic, the articulate statesman, was the answer to cowboy oil baron Bush, Trump the angry outsider is the answer to the treachery of Obama liberal elitism.
Emperors' new clothes etc..

I think we are yet to see the dust settle on Twitter-gate and the actual impact this medium has on the discourse etc. It's the new TV and Trump broadcasting from the ivory Trump tower is very much the master of this at present.

North and South Korean Teams to March as One at Olympics

The two countries’ delegations will march at the opening ceremony behind a “unified Korea” flag that shows an undivided Korean Peninsula, negotiators from both sides said in a joint news release after talks at the border village of Panmunjom. The North will send 230 supporters to the Games, and negotiators agreed that supporters of both Koreas would root together for athletes from both countries.

^^^This follows the pattern of NK being bellicose for a while, trolling crisis, forcing itself into the agenda, then following up with talks, warming relations, and reaping what it can. NK public sighs in relief that the Great Leader has saved them once again. Repeat, five years or so from now.

Except the Dotard in Chief wants to nuke them.

You call 911 because your nutty brother is behaving erratically and is threatening you. When the cops show up the two of you are locked up in the same room and the cops burst in and tell your brother to behave. Instead he tells them to leave and that he has a knife in his pocket. The cops reply that if he takes the knife out of his pocket they will throw a hand grenade into the room. At that point you decide that making up with your brother is preferable to calling cops who could care less about you.

*couldn't

but seriously, wtf?

LOL DS trying to be all DUCY'ing and then drops a could care less. Never change David.

TPM:

From a South Korean paper, flagged on Twitter by The Washington Post’s Tokyo Bureau Chief …

Indeed, White House National Security Council senior director for Asian affairs Matthew Pottinger was reported as saying in a recent closed-door meeting with US experts on Korean Peninsula issues that a limited strike on the North “might help in the midterm elections.”

The Post’s Anna Fifield identifies the paper Hankyoreh as “left-wing” and that it is the only paper currently reporting it.