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I don't believe in striking first but, frankly, it's long been a moot point. Joel Send a noteboard - 23/11/2010 05:09:49 PM
17 years of engaging North Korea have led to absolutely no positive tangible results. Not only that, that fruitless process has given the North the opportunity to develop nuclear warheads. They now let the whole world know that there is a second nuclear facility that they had never revealed or intended to reveal throughout those 17 years, and a few days later they open up with the first artillery shelling of South Korea since the armistice.

I think it is time to mobilize and strike. We need to strike first, strike hard and strike so hard that nothing can strike back worth noting.

The map at the article Camilla linked was illustrative: It purports to show sites of 150 "incidents" between North and South Korea since the "armistice" "ended" the conflict. A total of FOUR occurred outside South Koreas land borders (all but one of those in open sea). That said, I'm still not convinced a military strike is the next logical step, but we should break off diplomatic relations until/unless North Korea demontrates some significant and tangible concessions. Simply crawling to them for another agreement they can violate with impunity while they prepare for a war of their own choosing would be stupid. How many people must they kill before the US and her allies are no longer the aggressor? We're past that point, IMHO, and should clearly say the next attack will be treated as the act of war it is, will initiate a war we will conclude on our terms.

Of course, that does mean some pretty awful things, things like North Korea shelling South Korea (because, remember, as long as we sit mutely taking this crap North Korea won't unleash an artillery barrage on South Korean civil--oh, wait, that's a proven load of horsecrap, isn't it? :rolleyes: ) and the US confronting China, but it should be clear to any objective observer by now that that day is coming whatever we do.
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This message last edited by Joel on 23/11/2010 at 09:26:59 PM
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North Korea attacks South Korea and no one mentions it? - 23/11/2010 10:56:03 AM 1447 Views
"Oh God, Oh God, we are all going to die?" - 23/11/2010 11:09:30 AM 1231 Views
Yup, but the day Beijing decides they're better off not intervening the Appeasers look very dumb. - 23/11/2010 11:23:35 AM 1085 Views
The appeasers look very dumb at this point regardless. - 23/11/2010 04:11:41 PM 989 Views
yes, because we want to fight *ANOTHER* proxy war with china *NM* - 23/11/2010 04:29:18 PM 547 Views
"Wanting" has nothing to do with it. There are few alternatives. - 23/11/2010 04:50:02 PM 1134 Views
Honestly, it COULD go either way. - 23/11/2010 05:14:18 PM 1261 Views
China's relations with North Korea are also worsening, though. - 25/11/2010 05:48:01 PM 1425 Views
What Tom said. - 23/11/2010 05:15:31 PM 1072 Views
I don't believe in striking first but, frankly, it's long been a moot point. - 23/11/2010 05:09:49 PM 1106 Views
I figured someone else would post it *NM* - 23/11/2010 11:16:44 AM 487 Views
You know I like to sleep in, remember? - 23/11/2010 11:20:33 AM 1073 Views
Agreed - 23/11/2010 02:07:30 PM 1182 Views
I think most Americans are asleep until the sun rises here - 23/11/2010 11:32:28 AM 1084 Views
That is 'cause everyone else is hiding out in their nuclear bunkers - 23/11/2010 11:40:33 AM 1065 Views
Re: That is 'cause everyone else is hiding out in their nuclear bunkers - 23/11/2010 11:46:03 AM 1107 Views
Re: That is 'cause everyone else is hiding out in their nuclear bunkers - 23/11/2010 11:57:51 AM 968 Views
The really sad part is, that along with everything else worthwhile in the British Empire... - 25/11/2010 09:49:00 AM 1239 Views
you know what they say - 25/11/2010 10:34:30 AM 1102 Views
Never send an Englishman to do a man's work? - 25/11/2010 09:06:22 PM 1098 Views
I actually had no clue. - 23/11/2010 01:14:20 PM 1081 Views
Re: I actually had no clue. - 23/11/2010 01:15:10 PM 954 Views
Re: I actually had no clue. - 23/11/2010 04:32:17 PM 1052 Views
Re: I actually had no clue. - 23/11/2010 04:36:59 PM 1015 Views
Honestly, - 23/11/2010 02:36:13 PM 996 Views
you know the world doesn't exist until america wakes up in the morning, right? *NM* - 23/11/2010 04:27:27 PM 515 Views
I had an inkling. *NM* - 23/11/2010 04:37:37 PM 552 Views
OK, have had time to read it, and someone needs to fact check a very important part of that article. - 23/11/2010 04:52:02 PM 1129 Views
Fact checking: - 23/11/2010 08:38:57 PM 1075 Views
The term "truce" used in a different Guardian article seems better. - 23/11/2010 09:20:19 PM 1004 Views
my two bits - 23/11/2010 10:51:51 PM 1144 Views
I'm glad your ex wasn't there in 1970 then. - 24/11/2010 01:10:02 AM 1100 Views
Well - 23/11/2010 05:24:02 PM 1093 Views
There's not going to be any all-out conflict - 24/11/2010 12:56:44 AM 1267 Views
They're getting aid from South Korea now, and killing them anyway. - 24/11/2010 01:20:33 AM 1180 Views
No kidding, that's been going on for quite some time. - 24/11/2010 02:49:50 AM 1052 Views
That is the crux of it, I suppose. - 24/11/2010 03:02:40 PM 1137 Views
~shrugs~ SK has lived with this a long time, and will continue to do so. - 24/11/2010 10:26:44 PM 1118 Views
Parts of it have; some South Koreans stopped living with it a few days ago. - 25/11/2010 01:48:02 PM 1729 Views
They won't be the last. - 02/12/2010 12:55:20 AM 1281 Views
Re: North Korea attacks South Korea and no one mentions it? - 24/11/2010 01:50:11 AM 1012 Views

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