North Korean nuclear tests

[EastGalway]

North Korea has said it safely and successfully carried out an underground nuclear test, flying in the face of a warning from the Security Council.

My interest is not in the tests themsevles, which practically the whole world is in condemnation of, but the lack of any response on this forum.

Looking at this morning's activity on the forum, people seem more concerned about Mary Hanifin, Laois-Offaly, republicans in FG, and developments at the ploughing championships.

Evidence perhaps that we're all little islanders with little interest in the outside world apart from places where you can build a holiday home on the cheap.

[zakalwe]

eastgalway,

i disagree, if it was the americans/israelis or british there'd be a storm of angry posts and topics on this board.

people don't get worked up about the north koreans because:
1. NKorea don't give a flying duck
2. we can't identify with them like we can with the americans/british/israelis

[jjcarroll]

I used to post occasional bits and pieces about the North Koreans, but they generally met with indifference or in some cases hostility for whatever reason.

Obviously it is a problem, but I cannot see any obvious solution.

[zoinks]

I think everyone is worried by it, but it is largely out of our hands really.

The situation is brought about by the logic that if you have nukes no one invades you. That’s the truth and that’s the real-politic of it.

The country is in bits and has a famine again, sanctions will just kill more people in there, so the international community is helpless, all they can do is get china to depose of Kim 2, maybe thru a military uprising and maybe bring in china like reforms to the economy

Threatening North Korea is now pointless. They have the bomb, and starving the people is not going to get the US and japan any allies

An arms race is what we don’t need, i.e. Japan, then South Korea, then Taiwan, then Indonesia, then Thiland, then Burma, then Malaysia, then Australia, its goes on and on

So hopefully cool heads will prevail and china brings down Kim

or we just leave them alone

[Rocky]

North Korea has said it safely and successfully carried out an underground nuclear test, flying in the face of a warning from the Security Council.

My interest is not in the tests themsevles, which practically the whole world is in condemnation of, but the lack of any response on this forum.

Looking at this morning's activity on the forum, people seem more concerned about Mary Hanifin, Laois-Offaly, republicans in FG, and developments at the ploughing championships.

Evidence perhaps that we're all little islanders with little interest in the outside world apart from places where you can build a holiday home on the cheap.

Yeah that's always the way it is. No one seems to care about anything outside Ireland that can't be blamed on Israel or the US for some reason. I've set up a few threads on Sudan and other things in Africa and most just die after one or two posts if they get that at all. It's the same with all other threads set up by other people.

[Rocky]

I think everyone is worried by it, but it is largely out of our hands really.

The situation is brought about by the logic that if you have nukes no one invades you. That’s the truth and that’s the real-politic of it.

The country is in bits and has a famine again, sanctions will just kill more people in there, so the international community is helpless, all they can do is get china to depose of Kim 2, maybe thru a military uprising and maybe bring in china like reforms to the economy

Threatening North Korea is now pointless. They have the bomb, and starving the people is not going to get the US and japan any allies

An arms race is what we don’t need, i.e. Japan, then South Korea, then Taiwan, then Indonesia, then Thiland, then Burma, then Malaysia, then Australia, its goes on and on

So hopefully cool heads will prevail and china brings down Kim

or we just leave them alone

I can't see China doing anything about N.Korea because basically they have no reason to do so. Wars are expensive and time consuming and I don't see how taking out Kim is worth that for China. I'd also be doubtful how much better the person China would replace Kim with would be. He'd have to be another dictator anyway.

The US can't touch him either now because well now he has nukes and even more important China wouldn’t stand for a US satellite on it's borders, which North Korea would have to be if the US invaded, for at least a short space of time, and China are too strong to annoy.

Right I feel we should just leave N.Korea and just ignore it as we've essentially being doing since the 50's. I don't think there's anything we can realistically do to help the people living in N.Korea and as you don't say we don't want an arms race. On the other hand I wouldn't trust them with regards their neighbours now and I have to admit I wouldn't like living in South Korea now. We also have to do something to show other countries that getting nuclear weapons isn't allowed or else everyone will do it, knowing that nothing will happen and they will just be a lot more powerful. It is a difficult one.

[jady88]

I think everyone is worried by it, but it is largely out of our hands really.

The situation is brought about by the logic that if you have nukes no one invades you. That’s the truth and that’s the real-politic of it.

The country is in bits and has a famine again, sanctions will just kill more people in there, so the international community is helpless, all they can do is get china to depose of Kim 2, maybe thru a military uprising and maybe bring in china like reforms to the economy

Threatening North Korea is now pointless. They have the bomb, and starving the people is not going to get the US and japan any allies

An arms race is what we don’t need, i.e. Japan, then South Korea, then Taiwan, then Indonesia, then Thiland, then Burma, then Malaysia, then Australia, its goes on and on

So hopefully cool heads will prevail and china brings down Kim

or we just leave them alone

I can't see China doing anything about N.Korea because basically they have no reason to do so. Wars are expensive and time consuming and I don't see how taking out Kim is worth that for China. I'd also be doubtful how much better the person China would replace Kim with would be. He'd have to be another dictator anyway.

The US can't touch him either now because well now he has nukes and even more important China wouldn’t stand for a US satellite on it's borders, which North Korea would have to be if the US invaded, for at least a short space of time, and China are too strong to annoy.

Right I feel we should just leave N.Korea and just ignore it as we've essentially being doing since the 50's. I don't think they're a threat to anyone else and I don't think there's anything we can realistically do to help the people living in N.Korea and as you don't say we don't want an arms race.

this is actually wrong because China is growingly frustatrated at NK's lack of cooperation and it's failing economy whcih is a headache for the Chinese thanks to enormous numbers of immigrants. there is a very interesting article on this in Newsweek this week.

[zoinks]

I think everyone is worried by it, but it is largely out of our hands really.

The situation is brought about by the logic that if you have nukes no one invades you. That’s the truth and that’s the real-politic of it.

The country is in bits and has a famine again, sanctions will just kill more people in there, so the international community is helpless, all they can do is get china to depose of Kim 2, maybe thru a military uprising and maybe bring in china like reforms to the economy

Threatening North Korea is now pointless. They have the bomb, and starving the people is not going to get the US and japan any allies

An arms race is what we don’t need, i.e. Japan, then South Korea, then Taiwan, then Indonesia, then Thiland, then Burma, then Malaysia, then Australia, its goes on and on

So hopefully cool heads will prevail and china brings down Kim

or we just leave them alone

I can't see China doing anything about N.Korea because basically they have no reason to do so. Wars are expensive and time consuming and I don't see how taking out Kim is worth that for China. I'd also be doubtful how much better the person China would replace Kim with would be. He'd have to be another dictator anyway.

The US can't touch him either now because well now he has nukes and even more important China wouldn’t stand for a US satellite on it's borders, which North Korea would have to be if the US invaded, for at least a short space of time, and China are too strong to annoy.

Right I feel we should just leave N.Korea and just ignore it as we've essentially being doing since the 50's. I don't think they're a threat to anyone else and I don't think there's anything we can realistically do to help the people living in N.Korea and as you don't say we don't want an arms race.

Maybe china won’t do anything if it means that North Korea becomes a satellite of America, but they are basically propping up North Korea at the moment, by supplying most of the food, they also get all the refugees.

I don’t think they would go to war over it, but they may just say to some NK generals, "to arrange Kim dying in his sleep", if it would look like america and japan are getting to close for comfort.

But the proof is now, if you have nukes people will leave you alone, ie Iran will double up the process now

[Marx]

North Korea faces being politically isolated more than it is now. Only yesterday China became very friendly with Japans new PM and is definitely softening on the strict Communism front ie the increase in capitalist economics. N Korea is only an embarrassment and I can see China abandoning it.
If N Korea is ignored it will implode in my opinion.

[jady88]

North Korea faces being politically isolated more than it is now. Only yesterday China became very friendly with Japans new PM and is definitely softening on the strict Communism front ie the increase in capitalist economics. N Korea is only an embarrassment and I can see China abandoning it.
If N Korea is ignored it will implode in my opinion.

Well thats a given seeing how thosands will die if China cuts of ties with NK