N. Korea's nuclear testing.

[viirkokka]

Actually, there could be a nuclear war, I remember reading about how nuclear war was closely averted simply because of human errors in judgment thinking war was going to break out, there was some problem with the presidential phones that connect to the other countries.

If there are nukes in the world, people don't want to attack each other (though there is still the aforementioned human error risk). If there aren't nukes, the biggest countries "police" the smaller countries. Read: America vs Iraq. Come to think of it, I reckon America knew Iraq had no WMD's anyway, otherwise they wouldn't have attacked. See: Iran has nuclear weapons and lots of oil, and yet America hasn't gone to war with them.

 

[Matski]

The only reason the US did not nuke Russia during the Cold War was JFK. He had Generals telling him to do it and he decided to hold back. If it had been another president, i.e. one with a below room temperature IQ like George Dubya, it could have been a very different story. Never say never...

Having said that, you would hope that times have changed. I think it would take major, major steps backwards for things to get to those kind of stages again....but you cannot be sure. The NK thing is mostly media hype. Despite their massive army, NK would be foolish to go to war with SK & US. They would certainly lose.

 

[Buddha 3]

It is just like the cold war.

We all have nukes, we just don't want to use them.

In the cold war, Russia tried to put nukes on Cuba (the bay of pigs), JFK put a non threatening wall of ships around Cuba, Khrushchev knew that if he rammed through the blockade JFK would nuke Russia, and then Khrushchev would nuke America.


I need to write that sort of thing for my History GCSE next week, just..longer

Well, I suggest you get studying then, because if you think the Bay of Pigs incident had anything to do with the USSR putting nukes on Cuba, you may have some catching up to do...

 

[Buddha 3]

Spot on.

These people have an immortal leader. At the same time you can only watch the government channels that brain wash you. They would happily use tactics we used in WW1 with their infantry.

They have enough SAMs to prevent air supremacy and enough land mines to prevent an invasion from SK and yes they geezer in charge would happily shoot a nuke into SK.

The balancing power is the Chinese and the amount of trade they do with NK

You're kidding right? NK has 1950's technology for their army. Their SAMs are more like telephone poles that get shot upwards and are quite easily countered by the most simple of ECM units.
Saddam had one hell of an army (well, at least the Republican Guard) in 1991, yet they were easily smashed because their air defense was fragile. NK's is laughable. Old ass radars that are the first target for any stealth bomber (Saddam's air defense in 1991 was pretty much made null and void by just ONE flight of Apache helicopters), and if you think that Mig 19's stand even the remotest of chances against a modern day NATO force, you are very much mistaken.

You are right in saying that NK would WWI type human waves, but it would get them nowhere. The Iraq/Iran war of 1980-1988 proved once and for all that this tactic will never ever work again. So all that would happen is a severe thinning out of NK's manpower (to use a nice euphemism for wholesale slaughter). The only thing that would achieve is that the public opinion might be shocked by the sight of human waves being cut to ribbons. That's also basically what ended hostilities between Iraq and the Coalition in 1991: The sight of the highway between Kuwait City and Basra filled with burned out wrecks and burned up corpses made people "uncomfortable".

This is how NK does business. They will wave their fists, eventually go to the table, they will receive money/electricity/playstations and all will be fine again, until a few years down the line the money's gone, the electricity's been used up and the warranty on the playstations has expired. Then the same stuff will happen again.

 

[jitsuwarrior]

You're kidding right? NK has 1950's technology for their army. Their SAMs are more like telephone poles that get shot upwards and are quite easily countered by the most simple of ECM units.
Saddam had one hell of an army (well, at least the Republican Guard) in 1991, yet they were easily smashed because their air defense was fragile. NK's is laughable. Old ass radars that are the first target for any stealth bomber (Saddam's air defense in 1991 was pretty much made null and void by just ONE flight of Apache helicopters), and if you think that Mig 19's stand even the remotest of chances against a modern day NATO force, you are very much mistaken.

You are right in saying that NK would WWI type human waves, but it would get them nowhere. The Iraq/Iran war of 1980-1988 proved once and for all that this tactic will never ever work again. So all that would happen is a severe thinning out of NK's manpower (to use a nice euphemism for wholesale slaughter). The only thing that would achieve is that the public opinion might be shocked by the sight of human waves being cut to ribbons. That's also basically what ended hostilities between Iraq and the Coalition in 1991: The sight of the highway between Kuwait City and Basra filled with burned out wrecks and burned up corpses made people "uncomfortable".

This is how NK does business. They will wave their fists, eventually go to the table, they will receive money/electricity/playstations and all will be fine again, until a few years down the line the money's gone, the electricity's been used up and the warranty on the playstations has expired. Then the same stuff will happen again.

Politically no country will take them on in a war, hell I am part of NATO's current JRRF and our area of interest at the mo is definately not at NK. Their SAM systems are outdated, but very very fast, this is enough to hit a sloppy pilot or two and cause a political yit storm in the west.

There was a bit more behind the reason why we never went all the way to Baghdad first time, personally I think we should never have gone in either time, but hey what do I know, I am no politician. I am just glad no matter what the PM thinks he must see the queen and seek her permission before ordering her military muscle into action.

This country can not politically handle many more deaths in combat. Perhaps they should show what is happening in Sellyoak and Hedley court, I believe then when you see the motivation of the troops and their self belief you will perhaps realise what makes a soldier want to go back to Afghan and finish the fight.


Anyone for Chips!!!

 

[NSKlad]

The deadliest weapon in North Korea

At any rate, whatever they have, they won't use. As Buddha has stated, if their airforce/air defences are shoddy, doesn't matter if they have a million men to throw at you. It ain't much fun being shot at by something that moves at 700+MPH and fires cannon rounds the size of your forearm or whatnot.