One would’ve thought that the North Korean declaration that they are in “a state of war,” coupled with stepped up US rhetoric would’ve left little more room for bellicosity, but with both sides still not tired of it, they have found yet more ways to raise the stakes.
The US has added F-22 stealth fighter jets to their “military drills” along the Korean frontier, while issuing a statement condemning North Korea’s “provocation.” North Korea, of course, has seen the increase in US attack aircraft, including nuclear-capable bombers, as a provocation in and of themselves.
The US and South Korea hold annual military drills this time of year, practice runs for an invasion of North Korea that gets larger each time, and always draws angry threats from the North Korean side of the border.
North Korea’s Central Committee, for its part, declared nuclear weapons as the nation’s “treasure,” insisting that they are not a bargaining chip to be dealt away in diplomacy and that they are not something that would be traded for “billions of dollars.”
North Korea has made the acquisition of a nuclear arsenal their primary goal in recent years, and has conducted successful underground tests. It remains unclear, however, how close they are to being able to miniaturize the process into a deliverable warhead. Since they perceive an imminent threat from the US, South Korea, or both, they seem determined to keep this retaliatory capability, though their repeated threats to launch a first strike seem to be bringing them quickly to a point of no-return.
The Central Committee also said improving North Korea’s economy, a veritable trainwreck, is a high priority. Interestingly, they noted in their statement that their isolation is in no small part a reaction to their nuclear arsenal, but suggested they believe they can improve the economy without giving them up.
The plan, at least as they presented it, was to use their nuclear deterrent to reduce conventional military spending, allowing them to put more money into agriculture. While that seems reasonable on paper, the complexities of central planning in an isolated state with a near-total command economy make it hard to predict how efficiently that spending will be done. Moreover, North Korea’s military retains a position of major influence in the government, and like any other military is likely to take a dim view of spending cuts for any reason.
Ego maniac Obama is escalating the tensions because he wants his own missile crisis for the history books.
Or, notice how all of this seems to arise conveniently when Congress is actually considering wasting a bit less of your tax money on the military. Presidents seem handy at starting a crisis when that terrible threat emerges.
Such regimes is like Israel.., pay me or I will start the war with Iran.., in Korean case.., pay me or I will have one more nuclear warhead in my arsenal.., but if I can or would or even willing to start a war with USA.., I don't know yet.., it all dependents on what kind of deal USA is offering.., after all it was USA which divided the Koreans to have a military base in the south watching China and Russians closely as they could.., for US is pay time not a war time.., they have invested to much money in South Korea.
USA. Please make up your minds as to which brown people you want us to kill. Yesterday it was Syria and the day before Libya.
There is of course the obvious answer …. all of them. Just ask the native Indians how much we distinguish between separate tribes. The sad thing is that 97% or so of the American people voted for one of the Presidential choices that would be following this policy and starting these wars when there were clearly other choices on the ballots.
When a rogue country like NK re-declares war and promises to turn S. Korea and Washington into a sea of fire you might want to take that seriously and prepare for that eventuality rather than react to millions of deaths and catastrophic damage to Japan, S. Korea and possibly parts of the U.S. One never backs down to a bully without inviting an imminent attack.
And that's exactly how wars do start.
Always be wary when people start producing reasons to start a war that have nothing to do with reality. This sort of nonsense about how you 'can't back down to a bully' is a prime example. Or, once the war starts, you'll hear that we have to keep fighting the war to 'maintain credibility'. These are the sorts of lies and ideological bull that killed millions and millions of people in the 20th century.
There's no real reason for the US to fight a war with North Korea. They aren't invading the US. They aren't blockading the US nor imposing sanctions on the US. They aren't using their economic power to destroy any hope of an independent economy in the US. They aren't doing anything that would make them a real threat to Americans.
Thus, these sorts of idealogical, nonsense reasons have to be trotted forth. Be wary, because its this sort of nonsense that starts wars and really gets people killed. Although, rarely the people who trot forth the nonsense.
Total-command economy? Sounds like the US with the military screeching like howler monkeys with any hint that they can sqeeze fewer bananas out of the rest of us.
If these are stealth fighters, would the North Koreans notice they're even there?