North Korea is making nukes...

[Luvian]

As seen here.

[johnny]

Now all they need to do, is find a way to attach them to a missile, so they won't explode right in their face.

[wellard]

This is the subject matter that should be grabbing the headlines. Stop picking over the carcass that is Iraq and concentrate on the CLEAR and PRESENT danger of a dictator with nukes.

I just cannot understand why this is not the number one problem in international affairs [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img]

[Paladin2000]

Originally posted by wellard: This is the subject matter that should be grabbing the headlines. Stop picking over the carcass that is Iraq and concentrate on the CLEAR and PRESENT danger of a dictator with nukes. I just cannot understand why this is not the number one problem in international affairs [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img]

Err... because North Korea is poor and does not have any oil reserve to fight for. If the US liberate NK, they would have to fork out quite a lot of money with no promise of financial return. No spoil of war, no war.

Anyway, NK is so poor that they could hardly build enough nuke to cause any serious threat.

[ 10-06-2003, 02:34 AM: Message edited by: Paladin2000 ]

[wellard]

I think even one nuke would cause a few problems [img]tongue.gif[/img]

And what do you propose? waiting until they have a hundred to make the war look better on CNN?

[Azimaith]

Fact being we don't want to get into a nuclear war thats why. We don't want to go to war with NK because of a couple reasons it seems.
1#: Nuclear weapons naturally, even with the blah de blah over the WMD in Iraq there really wasn't alot of people saying Iraq had nukes.
2#: The extremely close proximity to South Korea naturally, South Korea is on good terms with the US and alot of people have their families split across the north and south.
3#: North Koreas army is alot stronger than Iraqs, the last thing we want to do in tango with the north koreans especially since they really don't link to much with the war on terror.

I keep hearing Oil Oil oil, we could have invaded saudi arabia if we wanted oil, they have more, we haven't even bought oil from iraq since before desert storm, the only people who were well known to buy from iraq were, surprise, france and germany.

[The Hierophant]

Originally posted by Azimaith: I keep hearing Oil Oil oil, we could have invaded saudi arabia if we wanted oil, they have more, we haven't even bought oil from iraq since before desert storm, the only people who were well known to buy from iraq were, surprise, france and germany.

Since the 70s the US has been able to simply buy oil from Saudi Arabia without having to bang its chest too hard. Iraq was being problematic in not openly co-operating with American oil companies, thus it was invaded and had a little 'regime change' forced on it. When a more compliant government is inserted into Iraq (one that will sell it's oil to US firms at cheap prices), then Iraq will be all nice and dandy in American diplomatic books again.

Savvy governments will never invade unless it is economically shrewd to do so. Buy first, then if they won't sell, take them down. When you are as ridiculously dependant upon oil for your infrastructure as the USA is you just can't afford to not have a free flowing supply of oil from international markets. There are numerous markets from which the US buys its oil (Middle-Eastern States, Russia, Alaska, Texas etc) but it needs all of them to be compliant if it is to recieve enough oil to keep its infrastructure operating smoothly. The 1970s oil shortage was a real eye-opener for the US federal government as to what can happen if oil supplies are restricted. If one supplier-nation plays up, you better believe there's going to be trouble. If Saudi Arabia DID withold its oil on a long-term basis then you betcha they would be invaded too, right quick.

[ 10-06-2003, 08:55 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

[wellard]

Originally posted by Azimaith: Fact being we don't want to get into a nuclear war thats why. We don't want to go to war with NK because of a couple reasons it seems. 1#: Nuclear weapons naturally, even with the blah de blah over the WMD in Iraq there really wasn't alot of people saying Iraq had nukes. 2#: The extremely close proximity to South Korea naturally, South Korea is on good terms with the US and alot of people have their families split across the north and south. 3#: North Koreas army is alot stronger than Iraqs, the last thing we want to do in tango with the north koreans especially since they really don't link to much with the war on terror.

So have they nukes or not? if not do we strike now or wait till they have them and they threaten to use them? Do we blockade thier country? or do we just turn a blind eye? Are we going to set the agenda or react to N. Korea actions?

If the argument is that they are bankrupt and are selling drugs for income then would they really be a substantial threat to a coalition of US, Japan, Australia and S. korea?

[Skunk]

---Azimaith I keep hearing Oil Oil oil, we could have invaded saudi arabia if we wanted oil, they have more, we haven't even bought oil from iraq since before desert storm, the only people who were well known to buy from iraq were, surprise, france and germany.

Surprise, surprise - the US *had* been buying even more Iraqi oil than France and Germany combined...

"Iraqi oil became a big part of U.S. energy supplies despite an
overall drop in oil imports," according to the American Petroleum
Institute. Iraq has become the fifth largest supplier of U.S.
imports. In fact, crude oil imports from Iraq doubled last year,
from 336,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 1998 to 712,000 bpd a day as of
October last year, according to Ronald Planting, the Petroleum
Institute's information and analysis manager. Yet, as recently as
1996, the U.S. imported no Iraqi oil."
--U.S. Using UN program to steal Iraq's oil, Lee Siu Hin
CovertAction Quarterly, Summer 2000, P.32

[ 10-06-2003, 08:46 PM: Message edited by: Skunk ]