Why does North Korea even want to start a war?
What do they think they have to gain?
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Lots of new materials for luminescent watch dials.
He’s crazy, among other things like hating democracy.
I do not think they do.
Obama cut all foreign aid to NK in 2009, and I wager that they are trying to get the US to resume the aid in return for NK keeping their heads down.
There’s no indication that North Korea wants to start a war. They have not mobilised their military, and have not made any military maneouvres.
The US has increased its military presence in the area, and with South Korea, has performed large military drills within sea territory claimed by North Korea.
You could more reasonably ask why the US and South Korea want to start a war with North Korea, since there is more evidence for that.
They’re being macho and childish. Sabre rattling. Regardless, they’d regret it- what would be left of them.
From another site:
Yesterday the UN passed a law setting out guidelines for the arms trade. Presumably this was done so that the US can have a basis for condemning the sale of arms to its enemies. China and Russia abstained from the vote, Iran and North Korea and Syria voted against it. The rest of the world toed the line.
If a shooting war starts and China supplies NK, the US will complain to the UN that they are supporting a loony tyrant and must be sanctioned. The result would be throttling trade with China. A war with NK will certainly make it necessary to search every container for nukes before they get within range of the US or its allies—the nutter has nukes, has clearly stated that he will deliver them, but has no military means of doing so.
If this is the plan, then it’s a good one. There doesn’t appear to be any other way to rebalance trade with China—they continue to deal unfairly with the West and we are obligated to accept their imports without a tariff to adjust for their lower labour and environmental costs.
The corporatists have already made it clear that “Those jobs are never coming back” if they can help it. The only source of relief therefore is the militarists, who trump the corporatist due to the importance of security. If the trade imbalance can’t be sorted by negotiating with China, or putting up tariffs that adversely affect the multinationals, relief will have to come from stopping and searching the boats or imposing emergency war-time controls on imports, to prevent a nuke being shipped in a container.
A low intensity shooting war with the Norks might be just what the doctor ordered for our disastrous economies.
I am not sure that anyone in the West really understands the North Korean character and thus their motivations. There is speculation that threatening to re-open their mothballed nuclear facility is an attempt to get more international aid.
This is what they do to get money from China (to please behave) and from the US, as ransom, so the US does not have to slog over the Far East again for one more war which cannot be paid for, in an area where logistics and supply are difficult and morale is bound to suffer.
It’s a trick. And it seems to always work.
If our people had any balls they would establish a policy. You shoot at us or any of our friends, we will not try to occupy you. We will simply bomb you into cinders and leave you to the Chinese.
But, of course, it will not happen. Americans are so morally confused, they can not even decide if being threatened with attack is a reason to do something.
So they will continue.
North Korea is a totalitarian dictatorship whose population lives mainly in poverty like the poor in the US would never understand. The leader of the country wants to be a nuclear power player in the world. It is profitable and he wants to try and bolster support of his army and the countries residents with propaganda and saber rattling acting like everyone is against the people and mean to do them harm. The US and others, including Russia and China, have placed sanctions against North Korea to try and prevent the country from becoming a nuclear power and to get their attention. Basically, very basically, that is why they are threatening war against the US.
@Dutchess_III You probably don’t read a lot of Tom Clancy, but one of his sentences sticks in my mind. “A rational person does not start a war.” It’s too expensive in manpower and bucks.
Because they’re a messed up family.
Stupid but true answer.
It’s all in the water the have at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.
As far as I know, they have nothing to gain from an actual war, but they hope to gain from making the threat.
Some people think that Kim Jong-un is crazy. Some think that he is stupid. I think that he is neither of those things.
Kim Jong-un is a third-generation dictator. This is significant because it means that he grew up surrounded by anti-western propaganda. Kim Jong-un honestly believes most of what he is saying. His upbringing is also significant because his parents definitely taught him about politics.
So, here’s my answer:
Even though North Korea would really like to start a war with the United States, they are neither crazy nor stupid enough to actually start a war. They have noticed that previous threats have not had much affect, so they are creating a really big threat to try and convince other countries to negotiate with them.
Saber rattling distracts the population from their starvation.
Usually these threats are their equivalent of a temper tantrum and breath holding by a child. In the past it has resulted in their getting their way, meaning a huge aid payment. Now since the USA is not in the best financial situation, a big payment proves more difficult than in the past. I don’t think he’ll throw those missiles but he is a power crazed, ego maniacial child with his finger on the button. Makes me nervous! And as always it is a no win situation for the USA if engagement occurs. If they hit SK, which is probably the only target they can realistically hope to hit, then USA will be the bad guys for not preventing it, and if they go in before something happens, they will be in trouble for war mongering.
Ought to just let the Japanese kick their ass again.
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@Adirondackwannabe “A rational person does not start a war.” Would that be “The Hunt for Red October”? Clancy was one of my favorite authors when he was writing. :)
@Dutchess_III Give the lady a cigar. I’ve read a lot of his books. I even think possibly one about a war in Korea.
I liked “Clear and Present Danger.” Pretty thought provoking.
They are so good and the store smells amazing.The display case is at least 20 feet long. My mouth is watering thinking of the place.
Sorry, get off track much. :)
Back on the subject by the OP.
It fills Kim Jong-un’s “tightie whities”
@Dutchess_III
I have found your answer, courtesy of George Carlin:
“I look at war a little bit differently. To me, war is a lot of prick-waving! OK? Simple thing. That’s all it is. War is a whole lot of men standing out on a field waving their pricks at one another. Men are insecure about the size of their dicks, and so they have to kill one another over the idea. That’s what all that asshole jock bullshit is all about. That’s what all that adolescent, macho, male posturing and strutting in bars and locker rooms is all about. It’s called “dick fear!” Men are terrified that their pricks are inadequate and so they have to compete with one another, to feel better about themselves, and since war is the ultimate competition, basically, men are killing each other in order to improve their self-esteem! You don’t have to be a historian or a political scientist to see the bigger-dick foreign policy at work. It sounds like this: “What, they have bigger dicks? Bomb them!” And of course, the bombs and the rockets and the bullets are all shaped like dicks. It’s a subconscious need to project the penis into other people’s affairs. It’s called “fucking with people!”
@rojo Best war answer ever. LMAO.
George Carlin is/was awesome.
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