North Korea, aka Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1948-) - Bordered by Russia, China, and South Korea

[DonRocks]

North Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910, and liberated in 1945. 

Its current Constitution was written in 2009.

Since the nation's inception in 1948, it has had only three "Supreme Leaders," all of whom are in the same family, with a paternal lineage:

Kim Il-Sung (1948-1994)
Kim Jong-Il (1994-2011)
Kim Jong-Un (2011-)

The nation is 46,540 square miles in area, or about the size of Pennsylvania, our 33rd-largest state.

[DonRocks]

I'd be interested in peoples' opinions about this hypothetical response to North Korea's quickly growing nuclear threat:

Alert China and Russia that we'll be flying over North Korean airspace, promising not to use any weapons. Send a dozen of our fastest, most powerful jets over the entire country, and have them drop leaflets that read (in Korean), "This could have been a bomb, and you'd be dead. Stop your nuclear testing now."

Yes, it's aggressive, but nobody gets hurt, there's no explicit threat made, and the biggest risk seems to be China and Russia not being happy about it.

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As a side issue, I wonder why only certain children get to have the biggest toys. At one time, it seemed reasonable, but that was when things were a bit more ... "stable."

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In the long term - I'm talking 100 years from now - technology will be cheap enough, and plentiful enough, so that pretty much anyone will be able to destroy anyone else. We had better learn to get along with our enemies during the 21st century, or we might not make it through the 22nd.

Imagine also: enormous drones, large and powerful enough to carry an entire family over a wall in a basket - like a hot-air balloon - and then fly back to their owners. Electric motors will make them nearly silent.

[stevem]

Doesn't this depend on the big unknown question - are they rational actors or not?

[DonRocks]

25 minutes ago, stevem said:

Doesn't this depend on the big unknown question - are they rational actors or not?

I hate to say this, but I honestly don't know who you mean by "they."

Even if they (assuming you mean the North Koreans) aren't, I don't think they're a threat to harm the U.S. just yet, but their threat is increasing very quickly. Do we really want to wait until they have push-button Destructo capabilities?

I think it's noteworthy that they threatened Guam, instead of keeping their mouths shut for ten more years, when they'll probably have the capability - if left unchecked - to reach Los Angeles.

What is their end game? I have no idea, but what they're doing seems so self-destructive and pointless that it's almost insane: Many of their citizens are bordering on starvation, all so they can join the Boys' Club.

[stevem]

They = North Korea.

And, they do appear to have the ability to create significant trouble in South Korea/Japan today.

I think it's going to take diplomacy to fix this, and that's really a scary thought.

[DonRocks]

On 9/3/2017 at 7:58 PM, stevem said:

They = North Korea.

And, they do appear to have the ability to create significant trouble in South Korea/Japan today.

I think it's going to take diplomacy to fix this, and that's really a scary thought.

I'm not sure it's North Korea that needs fixing, at least not when it comes to global affairs. 

(Am I the only person in the world that thinks, "If we can have toys, then other kids can, too?")

"North Korea Is Still Working on Its Ballistic Missile Program, Say U.S. Officials" by Ken Dilanian, Courtney Kube, and Andrea Mitchell on nbcnews.com

I'm certain I've said this before, but I'll say it again: We had. Better. Start. Making. Friends. with Our. Enemies. because in 100-200 years (obviously, just a guess), anyone who really wants to will be able to kill a million people. 

This is why Capitalism won't work in the long, long term: Ultimately, people will take what they don't have - what they see as 'having been denied to them' - by force. I would have never, ever even conceived of this 30-years ago.

[stevem]

Extremely predictable thing happens.  Einstein, definition of insanity, etc.