dagblog - Comments for "Iran short of 'significant quantity' of potential bomb material: IAEA boss"

Bill Clinton once noted that

artappraiser — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 00:19:32 +0000

In reply to It would be suicide. If NK

Bill Clinton once noted that nuclear weapons were North Korea’s only cash crop. It was a wry and on-target observation that underscores a critical point. There is clearly a method to the madness of Kim Jong Il and the regime he leads.

from 2010 Foreign Policy article.

I saw Clinton do this, it was on Larry King Live on CNN during one or other scares in Bush's first term. He didn't say "nuclear weapons," he said "missiles" That's an important distinction.. It was one of his fabulous wonk splainers in vox populi lingo, so impressive my jaw dropped. He just explained it so simply something like--you see missiles is their only cash crop, it's the way they get money to feed their people, so you just play that game, that they don't want to shoot them off, they want to both sell them and use their presence to barter other things at diplomatic tables. I could imagine everyone who watched just stopped worrying about the crisis then and there. He was so good at that sort of thing.

When the vast majority of

ocean-kat — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 22:35:12 +0000

In reply to NK is developing nuclear

When the vast majority of countries don't even consider NK in 99.9% of the decisions they make about how the world works NK isn't a world player. The only time the world considers NK is when they make decisions about NK, and many of them make decisions to punish them with sanctions.

OK

A Guy Called LULU — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 22:30:57 +0000

In reply to When the vast majority of

NK is developing nuclear

A Guy Called LULU — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 22:21:13 +0000

In reply to It would be suicide. If NK

NK is developing nuclear weapons to blackmail the rich countries for money. It doesn't make them a world player in the slightest.

If NK is able to blackmail rich countries I would call that one example of being a world player. If the Kim regime is able to maintain power, in spite of the U.S. wanting it gone real bad, then NK's nuclear program is successful in that part of its intent. No sane person who believes the lives of only some tens of millions of people worth considering, even if all those people are *others*, would attack NK militarily and it would be crazy to think NK will not continue to develop their capabilities making it harder in the future and more of a threat whenever it comes to that. The U.S. will ultimately have to destroy NK's regime and its military capability or diplomatically offer them a good enough deal that they give up their nukes or simply learn to live with NK as a nuclear power. All of which which makes NK a world player, IMO.

It would be suicide. If NK

ocean-kat — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 21:14:17 +0000

In reply to NK's whole purpose in

It would be suicide. If NK decide to commit suicide they could take tens maybe even hundreds of millions with them. A great deal of death but minor in the context of a 7 billion world population. And that assumes a reasonably able delivery system which I doubt they have. Since we're going through covid I'm been looking at numbers, 5% of the world population died of the Spanish flu in 1918. We barely remember it and that was just 100 years ago.It's so minor in our minds that the anti vax movement keeps growing and growing. NK cannot kill that percentage of the world population even if every one of their bombs is a successful launch. The black plague killed 30 to 50% of Europe's population. Now that would be something that would be significant and remembered for a couple of centuries

eta: NK is developing nuclear weapons to blackmail the rich countries for money. It doesn't make them a world player in the slightest.

NK's whole purpose in

A Guy Called LULU — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 20:43:25 +0000

In reply to NK is very weak so they put

NK's whole purpose in developing a nuclear threat is to become a world player. So when no one is paying much attention to them they have to make noise demonstrating the genuine threat they can be. Their nuclear capability and geographic position and some reasonably able delivery systems, if and when they get them, coupled with their leader playing Nixon's mad man game, but maybe for real, make them a genuine threat, IMO. If they were to launch all their nukes I would expect, ultimately, a great deal of death.

well put analysis that also

artappraiser — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 20:17:23 +0000

In reply to NK is very weak so they put

well put analysis that also explains Pompeo's focus, like it or not

NK is very weak so they put

ocean-kat — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 20:11:39 +0000

In reply to Suzanne not the only person

NK is very weak so they put on a show of strength. If NK launched all it's nuclear weapons it would barely make a dent in the world population and one bomb on NK will take out the whole country. Iran is strong despite all the sanctions and doesn't need to put on a show of strength.

Suzanne not the only person

artappraiser — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 20:01:19 +0000

In reply to Iran short of 'significant quantity' of potential bomb material: IAEA boss

Suzanne not the only person pointing this out:

As Mike Pompeo called Iran the greatest threat to Americans, North Korea rolled out the world’s largest mobile ICBM. Another example of the Trump administration’s disregard for reality, says our Washpost editorial. https://t.co/h8xG75p7qp
— Jackson Diehl (@JacksonDiehl) October 12, 2020