So it appears they've graduated from loud-mouthed nuisance to concern in the last 24 hours. And you may have the two biggest egos in the world jabbering back and forth. I'm not as concerned with the China getting mad if we do something angle, but I am concerned anything we do has dire repurcussions for Seoul, considering half the population of South Korea lives there. Un has to know that if he starts something that he's going to lose, but I'm also pretty sure he doesn't care. What say ye?
It is a scary situation. I wish our blowhard wouldn't blow so hard and take a book from Teddy Roosevelt's book and walk a little softer. We don't need to boast to what we are capable of doing to NK, just quietly remind them what is at stake. Coming out thumping your chest and waving the Nuclear Football around will only make Un posture even more. And Seoul will be the one to pay. I do think we need to start (should already have started, I hope) talking to our allies and get them to start thinking about preemptively striking NK like the Israelis did to Iran back in the day. I hate war, and it usually doesn't solve the problem but just makes it go away for a while. But in this case, we cannot let NK have ICBMs with tactical nukes on them.
I imagine that this is a test to see if talking their language actually helps. And I think there's some room to run that experiment. Especially if Tillerson continues to keep a level head - and I think he will. I don't like it - but I think I might get it.
NK gains nothing by attacking. Trump knows it so he is swinging his [penis]. If things kick off, trump will have to own it. Hopefully Seoul survives this. Don't care if Kim does. The window to move against them was 15 years ago but we were too busy in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I'm still convinced NK is too chickenshit to do anything. They want to posture and strut around and pretend like they're a big dog, but when it comes down to it I'm fairly certain NK will follow their survival instincts and this whole thing is just to see how far they can push the new POTUS. They'll shoot some rockets into the ocean and try to get some $$$ from the US and SK to knock it off.
I don't think it is exactly about being chicken shit. They'll just be worse off no matter what if they do.
Not all of them. Depends on how paranoid they are and how certain they think they are about to be destroyed. I can definitely see a "****'em all" moment in that case. You just have to hope that it takes more than one person to launch a nuclear weapon or an attack against the USA and his generals would quietly put him out to pasture. But, again, that country is basically a Theocracy where the Un family are gods. So who knows.
I don't know that he is crazy. He's an evil, but rational, actor. The guy on our side is ****ing crazy.
I think that's fair. I got to think his life is good and he's not going to want to **** it up. i'd say more looney. I don't buy the people who say he will get pissed and nuke someone.
You're missing a rather imported part of TR's quote on foreign policy, which is, "....and carry a big stick." And that "big stick" is to beat the ever-loving shit out of anyone who threaten the US and its vital interests. Outside of the last 6 months or so, Un has had little need to assert himself, as he likely felt quite safe, and understandably so.
The entire point of a nuclear armed NK is to keep the Kim's both safe and in power. To launch an attack that would see him killed and his nation obliterated within 96 hours is antithetical to the achievement of each of those objectives. He thinks tha the world is just going to put up with his shit forever, and will pay whatever quelling ransom he demands every few years. I don't know what the answer is, or how to solve the problem - but I desperately hope that a peacable solution can and will be found. I also hope that we're not now making a similar situation in Iran.
I didn't mention the second part of Teddy's quote as I assumed (rightly or wrongly) that everyone knew it. And yes, the USA has the biggest stick the world has ever seen and we will use it if push comes to shove. I just think Trump is acting like a kid that was just told if anyone messes with him a boxer is going to beat the shit out of whoever it is. And he goes around making sure everyone knows. Everyone already knows we could and would turn NK into a giant crater using even just traditional armaments and in about 48 hours if NK used a nuke somewhere.
Kim Jong Un seems to be confused about this. And when you've got a mad man who can drop a nuke on Anchorage, I'd much prefer strong talk to 8 years of acquiesced silence.
In Asian culture "saving face" is of utmost importance. I dont know about Un or Koreans but the Japanese where known to prefer death over losing face. Now think of this. Might Trump knowingly put Un in a position where he has to attack to "save face?" Is the calculus to do this now before it becomes unmanageable later. Heck my gut tells me we are already there. China is the real wild card? As for TR well he took his navy on a world tour to show how big his d*ck was. Oh and it was called the great white fleet...LOL I hope I didn't trigger anyone.
"Saving face" only matters when you care what someone else thinks; North Korea has always had a policy of executing or imprisioning those who show disapproval, and absolute give a damn what anyone else outside thinks. Nobody in North Korea save the elite knows what is going on between North Korea and Trump, and the elite are only the elite because they are whipped dogs. By the way, in the US, we call that "pride." It's of the utmost importance to wholly ignorant white men,, and you'll demonstrate that by choosing to side step this painfully obvious point.