The "Soverign" Nation of North Korea Plans to Test a Nuke Soon.

[Chuckiechan]

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_...5E1702,00.html

I guess since the conventional thinking is that a preemptive strike is not the "American Way", we should wait until they shoot one our way before we do something.

I'll rest well knowing the United Nations is hard at it!

[Blueliner]

I remember when Bush first took office and proposed the missile defence system, people laughed and said "Who would be stupid enough to shoot a nuke at America?"

[RADAR1797]

Shouldn't we ask Europe what to do first?

-RADAR

[Mike]

I don't like the thought that they are building nuclear weapons very much. On the other hand, if you were them wouldn't you do it as well?

[RADAR1797]

Well Mike, it depends on your view of the world. If a nation thinks the US will nuke them, your point is valid. The last time I checked, the American people would not look favorably on nuking anyone.

-RADAR

[Mike]

Are you possibly missing the bigger picture? If another country is going to try and kick you out of power, would you just simply walk away?

If I was a leader and I speculated that I was going to be possibly driven from power, would I just simply walk away? Or would I possibly want to go out with a bang?

[RADAR1797]

Ah you hit nail on the head. Would NK be developing nukes if they did not feel threatened? The US holds the preeminent conventional power on the planet, so why not develop nukes to counteract it? In fact nuclear technology would the fastest way to level the playing field for NK or other third world nations. The missing point is why is US not keen on NK's leadership? The US has an official policy that communist NK is an evil government, would you assert differently?

-RADAR

[ben-the-slacker]

1. Frankly, I think American doctrines is clashing with Eastern ones. And shoving the American way of life and democracy down the throats of a people who have practiced otherwise for centuries is clearly a hard pill to swallow. And they're not about to gulp it down just because big bad USA said so.

2. US likes anything Communist, simply because it is Communist. Whether it's good or bad, as long as it's Communist, it's gotta go.

3. America holds huge amounts of military and economic power in the region. With plenty of military bases and political influence, it clearly has a say in local politics, no matter how much opponents oppose it. Some loyal to US, like SK and Japan find this looking-over-the-shoulder ok. Hey, they're on the side of USA, what do they have to worry about? It's not like those American jets will rain bombs down on them. Others, like NK, think otherwise. Especially since its political system is quite in favor with the US.

[Chuckiechan]

I don't think the US should step aside and let NK develop anything other than a new government. Might does make right, especially since our motives are to keep nukes from proliferating, and to keep them from being sold to hostile countries. We really need to separate the rules of reality from the rules of fair play. This is not play, therefore different rules apply.

For those hostile countries that are "nervious" as to true US intentions, good. I get nervious when I see a cop behind me when I am speeding, and I change my behavior and slow down.

[Theophylact]

The "Sovereign" Nation of North Korea Plans to Test a Nuke Soon.

Why the quotation marks, Chuckiechan? Seems to me that any nation with nukes is pretty sovereign. Sovereign enough for all practical purposes, anyway...