A bit worrying!

[Paul_13]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35240012

Yes he is an absolute crack pot , but I can see some countries taking action against this

[procta]

that proves why you don't want to piss off Korea, china etc. As those are the ones that will destroy the world if you piss them off.

[Poodle]

that proves why you don't want to piss off Korea, china etc. As those are the ones that will destroy the world if you piss them off.

I am doing my best not to tear you a new one over that, do me a favour and try to keep the ignorance down please mate. 

Tbqh it's all just political manoeuvring, North Korea want to be taken seriously on the global stage and believe they need nuclear capabilities to do so, quite rightly as far as i can tell. Hence why the UN always goes loopy over stuff like this - because all it's members already have nukes and don't want to share the power about any further.

[Shiny]

What poodle said. As long as the U.S. keep the toys in the pram then it's simply just a show of cards. It'll be more worrying if Trump gets in to power

[ozpug]

I'm massively interested in this sort of stuff. I'm not sure what the reaction will be but I guess keep arming our allies in the pacific to the teeth.

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that proves why you don't want to piss off Korea, china etc. As those are the ones that will destroy the world if you piss them off.

I am doing my best not to tear you a new one over that, do me a favour and try to keep the ignorance down please mate. 

Tbqh it's all just political manoeuvring, North Korea want to be taken seriously on the global stage and believe they need nuclear capabilities to do so, quite rightly as far as i can tell. Hence why the UN always goes loopy over stuff like this - because all it's members already have nukes and don't want to share the power about any further.

Your right on both points. I'm happy for the UN to block any proliferation of nuclear weapons as they see fit.

[powerandtorque]

Hence why the UN always goes loopy over stuff like this - because all it's members already have nukes and don't want to share the power about any further.

Only a very small number of the 193 UN member countries have nuclear weapons by the way.

Suffice to say, even if North Korea manage to build a viable nuclear weapon, I simply can't see them being crackers enough to actually use it.

After all, they've had the capability to render a sizeable part of South Korea - a country they're still technically at war with - to rubble for a long time and haven't yet.

Far more of a concern is the amount of low grade nuclear material that's not properly secured in various parts of the world that could easily be converted into a dirty bomb by one of the crackpot groups out there, and that would be sufficient to render a large part of a major Western city uninhabitable and cause many nasty radiation related illnesses and eventual deaths.

[Dum-Dum]

It's all just saber rattling, it's not going anywhere.

[ozpug]

Star Wars did just come out ^

[ozpug]

They have test launched ICBM before.

[Dum-Dum]

Star Wars did just come out ^

I'm not sure how well the term "Saber Rattling" translates to Australian English. It is a term that has been around far longer than Star Wars though.

[Eeyore]

i went to see star wars last night. it was great.

tbh the last year has just been team america,,, first paris attacks... cairo.... now north korea... and we have already had the eco summit which is close enough to a world peace summit.

[procta]

that proves why you don't want to piss off Korea, china etc. As those are the ones that will destroy the world if you piss them off.

I am doing my best not to tear you a new one over that, do me a favour and try to keep the ignorance down please mate. 

Tbqh it's all just political manoeuvring, North Korea want to be taken seriously on the global stage and believe they need nuclear capabilities to do so, quite rightly as far as i can tell. Hence why the UN always goes loopy over stuff like this - because all it's members already have nukes and don't want to share the power about any further.

Tear me a new one pal???  ignorance??  Ok poodle anything you say

[Magenta Sunset]

being pedantic, it's Sabre, a cavalry sword.

[Dum-Dum]

being pedantic, it's Sabre, a cavalry sword.

I thought it was but the spell checker didn't like it.

[Magenta Sunset]

USA software, bah!

[toseland]

What poodle said. As long as the U.S. keep the toys in the pram then it's simply just a show of cards. It'll be more worrying if Trump gets in to power

this... but i doubt he will..

Americans are generally ignorant when it comes to their own politics but it stands a long way that he cant be elected to office on the rhetoric he usually spouts and it seems that he is simply being used as a public figure for the GOP to get them notoriety before they actually decide who the presidential nominee is..

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that proves why you don't want to piss off Korea, china etc. As those are the ones that will destroy the world if you piss them off.

I am doing my best not to tear you a new one over that, do me a favour and try to keep the ignorance down please mate. 

Tbqh it's all just political manoeuvring, North Korea want to be taken seriously on the global stage and believe they need nuclear capabilities to do so, quite rightly as far as i can tell. Hence why the UN always goes loopy over stuff like this - because all it's members already have nukes and don't want to share the power about any further.

Tear me a new one pal???  ignorance??  Ok poodle anything you say

he has a very good point.... it is more widely regarded as truth that the USA will be the provocateur (SP?) in any nuclear conflict or world war that is started, likely the event of them threatening to interfere or actually interfering in another countries politics (Russia, N.Korea, the arab nations/middle east etc)..

[RetroPug]

Hence why the UN always goes loopy over stuff like this - because all it's members already have nukes and don't want to share the power about any further.

Only a very small number of the 193 UN member countries have nuclear weapons by the way.

Suffice to say, even if North Korea manage to build a viable nuclear weapon, I simply can't see them being crackers enough to actually use it.

After all, they've had the capability to render a sizeable part of South Korea - a country they're still technically at war with - to rubble for a long time and haven't yet.

Far more of a concern is the amount of low grade nuclear material that's not properly secured in various parts of the world that could easily be converted into a dirty bomb by one of the crackpot groups out there, and that would be sufficient to render a large part of a major Western city uninhabitable and cause many nasty radiation related illnesses and eventual deaths.

They haven't done it because whilst their propaganda machine states otherwise, I imagine that their military analysts are well aware that whilst they could infilct massive civillian losses on S.Korea, the resulting counter attack would see their regime destroyed. It's mutually assured destruction, both sides have a huge amount to lose by actually going to war, hence why even live firing incidents and skirmishes have not escalated to full-scale conflicts.

that proves why you don't want to piss off Korea, china etc. As those are the ones that will destroy the world if you piss them off.

I am doing my best not to tear you a new one over that, do me a favour and try to keep the ignorance down please mate. 

Tbqh it's all just political manoeuvring, North Korea want to be taken seriously on the global stage and believe they need nuclear capabilities to do so, quite rightly as far as i can tell. Hence why the UN always goes loopy over stuff like this - because all it's members already have nukes and don't want to share the power about any further.

Tear me a new one pal???  ignorance??  Ok poodle anything you say

Procta, what evidence to you have to suggest that China intend to destroy the world if provoked in the future? It would seem to me that people are taking issue with you assuming that people of a different country would be evil enough to destroy the world just because they're from a different country.

[Dum-Dum]

USA software, bah!

I should have known better than to trust Chrome on spelling.

[r3k1355]

They haven't done it because whilst their propaganda machine states otherwise, I imagine that their military analysts are well aware that whilst they could infilct massive civillian losses on S.Korea, the resulting counter attack would see their regime destroyed. It's mutually assured destruction, both sides have a huge amount to lose by actually going to war, hence why even live firing incidents and skirmishes have not escalated to full-scale conflicts.

The South actually has most to gain by keeping the Status quo though.

Think about it they're a properly developed country, if the North fell then they'd be totally swamped by millions from the North.
People that are basically brainwashed peasants with no useful skills to offer the Southern state.

The South would overnight become responsible for looking after 24 million refugees, it'd totally cripple their country.

[RetroPug]

They haven't done it because whilst their propaganda machine states otherwise, I imagine that their military analysts are well aware that whilst they could infilct massive civillian losses on S.Korea, the resulting counter attack would see their regime destroyed. It's mutually assured destruction, both sides have a huge amount to lose by actually going to war, hence why even live firing incidents and skirmishes have not escalated to full-scale conflicts.

The South actually has most to gain by keeping the Status quo though.

Think about it they're a properly developed country, if the North fell then they'd be totally swamped by millions from the North.
People that are basically brainwashed peasants with no useful skills to offer the Southern state.

The South would overnight become responsible for looking after 24 million refugees, it'd totally cripple their country.

Yes but equally the ruling elite in the North understand that in the aftermath of war they'd no longer be a ruling elite. These are people that have total, authoritarian power while their people starve.

[r3k1355]

True, all in all maintaining the status quo is a better outcome for most.

As usual the common folk of the North get the shitty end of the stick, but they've had that for so long they don't know any other way.

[Poodle]

that proves why you don't want to piss off Korea, china etc. As those are the ones that will destroy the world if you piss them off.

I am doing my best not to tear you a new one over that, do me a favour and try to keep the ignorance down please mate. 

Tbqh it's all just political manoeuvring, North Korea want to be taken seriously on the global stage and believe they need nuclear capabilities to do so, quite rightly as far as i can tell. Hence why the UN always goes loopy over stuff like this - because all it's members already have nukes and don't want to share the power about any further.

Tear me a new one pal???  ignorance??  Ok poodle anything you say

Aye, you know i tend to climb up on my soap box when people are being racist, was just giving you fair warning before i got all excitable lol. 

As Toseland and Retropug have said, i was objecting to your assumption that eastern countries would be the ones to start a nuclear war, which is the sort of comment that is generally borne out of lack of understanding rather than any sort of bigotry. Tbh just lumping in North/South Korea (you didn't specify which, they're two very separate and different countries) with China (again, a world apart from the other two) is pretty ignorant, completely aside from any unpleasant implications about their intentions towards world peace. Have a read around fella, you'll soon see what i mean, we should be more scared of Russia than anywhere else imo, or indeed the USA!

Anyway. Badly made point there about the UN, i should have specified the controlling members, but the gist of the point stands. Basically my point is the ruling elite of this world have it just how they want it, nuclear proliferation will only unbalance the scales, they're more concerned about potential financial loss than any real fear of nuclear war. Iraq had WMDs, we soon jumped in there though, so how come we haven't sent troops into North Korea? Could it be that we have very little to gain financially from a war that isn't based on oil-rich soil...?

[ginge191]

that proves why you don't want to piss off Korea, china etc. As those are the ones that will destroy the world if you piss them off.

I am doing my best not to tear you a new one over that, do me a favour and try to keep the ignorance down please mate. 

Tbqh it's all just political manoeuvring, North Korea want to be taken seriously on the global stage and believe they need nuclear capabilities to do so, quite rightly as far as i can tell. Hence why the UN always goes loopy over stuff like this - because all it's members already have nukes and don't want to share the power about any further.

This.

NKorea aren't going to attack anyone, neither will the USA, nor Russia. It's all just statement making. 


If any fairly large [economic/political] country was to attack they'd be shooting themselves in the foot. Globally, we're linked through so many means and markets. It's really nothing to worry about.

[toseland]

Actually only 9 (if I recall correctly) members of the 170 or so UN countries have nukes