Strike on North Korea

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by ikalugin

China is not a liberal/democratic state, it is not obliged to invest into the region it annexes.

But they want to appear as a high ranking civilization. Having parts of their subordinates starving by the tens of thousands year by year, is no good self-advertising. See the shopping window rivalry between the West and East along the split-German frontline during the cold war.

[ikalugin]

Originally Posted by Skybird

But they want to appear as a high ranking civilization. Having parts of their subordinates starving by the tens of thousands year by year, is no good self-advertising. See the shopping window rivalry between the West and East along the split-German frontline during the cold war.

Yet the level of Chinese rural areas is not exactly high either, so I don't see any game changing costs here.

[Delgard]

I mentioned a buffer zone and I don't think it will get much investment other than for military use. Ports and airfields will, though.

[vienna]

China has shown it really doesn't like to annex already existing nations (unlike Russia in Georgia, the Ukraine, etc.); if anything, they seem to favor creating outposts as a means to exert and support territorial claims as they do by creating artificial Chinese national islands in the China Seas. However, China has made one significant military foray into another nation:

Sino-Vietnamese War --

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Vietnamese_War

This slapdown of Vietnam in 1979 by China , or as Chinese Vice-premier Deng Xiaoping put it, "The little child is getting naughty, it's time he get spanked", was not only a sharp message to the Vietnamese government, but also a rebuke to the Soviet Union's attempts to exert influence in SE Asia. This is interesting given the seeming coziness Russia is currently expressing towards NK...





<O>

[Mr Quatro]

Sounds like war drums, uh? Perhaps a major build up of our fleet off shore, perhaps an Ohio class submarine SSGN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_missile_submarine

(the U.S. Navy modified the four oldest Ohio-class submarines: USS Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and Georgia into SSGNs. The conversion was achieved by installing vertical launching systems (VLS) in a multiple all-up-round canister (MAC) configuration in 22 of the 24 missile tubes, replacing one Trident missile with 7 smaller Tomahawk cruise missiles. The 2 remaining tubes were converted to lockout chambers for use by special forces personnel. This gave each converted submarine the capability to carry up to 154 Tomahawks.)

Perhaps B-1 bombers converted to drop mines, perhaps US Army and US Air Force ready to drop paratroopers behind enemies lines, perhaps Seal team with diversions for NK to follow up on, perhaps shock and awe, perhaps air burst EMP weapons, perhaps rocket man targeted with an insider knowing where he is at all times sending out a signal.

Perhaps all of the above and even more without using nuclear weapons to stop NK from being a threat anymore.

I don't like President Trumps little crooked smile with the words, "Wait and see" "You'll find out".

If this goes wrong it could be the end of Donald Trump ... Why would NK give up and face defeat without striking back ... war has it's consequences.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ets/743135001/

WASHINGTON — President Trump tweeted new storm warnings Saturday, this time aimed at North Korea.

In a pair of late-afternoon tweets, Trump wrote that negotiations with the truculent, isolated nation had backfired, "makings (sic) fools of U.S. negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!"

He didn't make clear what that "one thing" is but has been hinting for several days that the time for diplomacy has passed, leaving a military strike as the most likely option. On Friday, the morning after he met with the nation's top military commanders, Trump spoke in cryptic terms about the "calm before the storm." When asked to clarify, Trump said: "You'll find out."

[Jimbuna]

I doubt the peace will last up to xmas.

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Mr Quatro

Sounds like war drums, uh? Perhaps a major build up of our fleet off shore, perhaps an Ohio class submarine SSGN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_missile_submarine

(the U.S. Navy modified the four oldest Ohio-class submarines: USS Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and Georgia into SSGNs. The conversion was achieved by installing vertical launching systems (VLS) in a multiple all-up-round canister (MAC) configuration in 22 of the 24 missile tubes, replacing one Trident missile with 7 smaller Tomahawk cruise missiles. The 2 remaining tubes were converted to lockout chambers for use by special forces personnel. This gave each converted submarine the capability to carry up to 154 Tomahawks.)

Perhaps B-1 bombers converted to drop mines, perhaps US Army and US Air Force ready to drop paratroopers behind enemies lines, perhaps Seal team with diversions for NK to follow up on, perhaps shock and awe, perhaps air burst EMP weapons, perhaps rocket man targeted with an insider knowing where he is at all times sending out a signal.

Perhaps all of the above and even more without using nuclear weapons to stop NK from being a threat anymore.

I don't like President Trumps little crooked smile with the words, "Wait and see" "You'll find out".

If this goes wrong it could be the end of Donald Trump ... Why would NK give up and face defeat without striking back ... war has it's consequences.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ets/743135001/

Trump has been long playing both ends of any issue; for instance, with DACA: to the Trumpettes he's been mouthing the 'hard line', while, to the DACA people he's been saying everything's gonna work out fine for them and he's put Congress squarely in the middle; and, regardless with what happens, Trump is setting himself up to appear as the "hero:

1) If Congress does pass a law extending and/or expanding DACA, Trump will be able to say to his Trumpettes "Well, I tried to end DACA, but Congress wouldn't let me" and to the DACA people he will say "I told you it would work out"...

2) If Congress doesn't pass a law extending and/or expanding DACA, Trump will be able to say to his Trumpettes "I delivered on my promise and ended DACA" and to the DACA people he will say "Well, I tried to save DACA, but Congress wouldn't act on it"...

Either way, he'll claim credit for whatever outcome and try to pass himself off as "presidential"...

...and now he's doing the same thing with his "little crooked smile with the words, "Wait and see" "You'll find out": if there is a military action against NK, he'll sit there and say "I told you so", making his Trumpettes happy and, if a diplomatic solution is found, he will also sit there and say "I told you so" making the rest of the electorate happy; by being cryptic, he sets him self up to "win", no matter what the result and you can rest assured, he'll be front and center to give himself credit even if he ultimately had no hand in either solution and, by waffling, displayed no real substantive, definitive leadership...






<O>

[Platapus]

I am not sure that Trump has ever experienced harsh consequences about his actions. Foreign Relations is not one area where one can just declare bankruptcy and take a business "mulligan".

There are no do-overs and no save games one can just reload.
I have a real fear that Trump is willing to start a war just to get the boost of being a "war" president like it did for Bush.

It is all about the ratings for our reality TV president.