Category: North Korea

Nuclear Threat

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn North Korea, nuclear terrorism, War, world gone madLeave a comment

Does North Korea pose a genuine threat to the USA with a handful of nuclear missiles pointed in its general direction?

Does the USA pose a genuine threat to North Korea?

Both bear the scars of a dreadful war in the early 1950s; a war that has not officially ended. In the intervening years, South Korea has emerged as a powerhouse exporting nation with advanced technology competing with Japan and China boasting companies such as Samsung. North Korea, in comparison, has locked itself into a military specialisation to the detriment of its own people who slavishly admire their leader or land up in a gulag, starved to death.

And now they are testing ICBM missiles and it is only a matter of time before they are able to use one against its enemy, the sponsor of South Korea, the USA. And now both countries have belligerent leaders who want to prove themselves with a “good war”.

The USA accuse Russia and China of responsibility here. Russia and China would rather not be at war with the USAA, so having a proxy threat is perhaps useful. All out nuclear war, of course, is in the interests of nobody.

What is the endgame for this terrible standoff? It seems unlikely that either party would not blink due to the nature of Nuclear weapons. If North Korea were to risk launching one, the retaliation could be complete and final. They will never have enough weapons to stop a systematic invasion let alone a nuclear response, but America would most likely have to live with the threat until it can justify action to China and Russia or better yet, engage with them to finally oust the military regime of North Korea.

Guardian article

Reunification turned Germany into a world leader. It is time for Korea to reconsider its path for mutual benefit between the North and the South. Is it in the interests of the West, Japan or anyone for North Koreans to suffer so and for the shroud of death to hang over the region? Does Trump style diplomacy help or is there a better way to help the Koreans to unify?

Fear drives North Korea to act

The solution to North Korea

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn North KoreaLeave a comment

Here we are again – international disapproval of North Korea’s nuclear programme. Or with Iran’s. The question in North Korea’s case is under what scenario do they plan to use a nuclear weapon? Wiping out one, two or even six coastal cities in the US west does not achieve enough for them to win a war against America, that much is quite clear. The more likely scenario is a nuclear standoff – where an attempted attack by NK is met with a bristling of the entire world’s military against them, and that could result in the first UN invasion of a country.

China would have little political difficulty in abandoning its worrying child if its acts were to result in a full scale US invasion on its doorstep and obviously it would mean less threat to China if it were instead to remove the NK regime, itself.

Nuclear politics change allegiances. It softens enemies by making military progress limited. It causes enemies to reflect more carefully about their opponents’ strategies. It also makes any provocation lop-sided. Perhaps a guerilla attack on a nuclear territory qualifies as “terrorism” for that very reason. Populations become more terrified of the response to rather than the instance of attacks, making conventional revenge by the nuclear armed defender seem more than justified.

Guardian article

The UN declares it will take significant action against North Korea for violation of international law. UN Security council condemnation – Telegraph

Doomwatch: North Korea

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn North Korea, nuclear, nuclear terrorismLeave a comment

North Korea is rattling sabres at the US by conducting ballistic missile tests and describing them as partly tests for satellite launches and also now as preparation for attacks on the USA. Recent UN resolutions to tighten sanction in light of the recent rocket tests have included their primary ally China who are suggesting that it is not the time to make threats. The history of the North/South Korean war and partitioning remains the bitter theme in the heart of the North Korean regime.

North Korea has demonstrated its prowess in technology but is still an infant when it comes to diplomacy. A military regime that basically starves its people into military service appears to operate as a cult of personality around its anointed despotic family.

They are many miles ahead of Iran in the atomic game. Their direct threats to the USA appear to make little sense now, 21st century political thinking would suggest that amalgamation of North and South under a common government could do so much for the Korean people. It seems very simple from the outside but it obviously is not. North Korea a state with aims to invade as nakedly obvious as it is, it does not have the resources to attack America effectively. But it does have a terrible bargaining advantage if it were to try to invade South Korea with nuclear menace. It it were to show itself to be such a malign power with its huge army, it would become a threat to China, Russia and Japan as well as the US.

North Korea must return to the negotiating table and grow up into the 21st century. Then again it would be good if all the other nuclear armed countries did the same.

Guardian news item