NEWS: North Korea Claims It has the Bomb

POLITICS: North Korea Claims It has the Bomb

So much for diplomacy.

As a historical note, nuclear weapon possession is traditionally announced with an accompanying test detonation. North Korea may have nuclear weapons, but they have not demonstrated that they can accomplish a successful detonation of a substantial kilotonnage. Since thousands of North Korean artillery tubes are already within range of South Korea's densely populated capitol Seoul, it really remains to be seen how much this nuclear capability matters. In the grisly calculus of nuclear confrontation, this announcement carries less value than the usual coming-out mushroom cloud.

North Korea justified the announcement on the basis of Bush Administration posturing.

Actually, the last thing the Bush Administration had to say about North Korea was during the State of the Union Address, when President Bush said the following.

Of course, dealing with reality is one of those things done away with in the DPRK. Reality tells us that Korean winters are a bitch and the nuclear announcement may be another blackmail to gain food and fuel to hold the government together for another few months.

to be honest, with bush around i can't even blame anyone anymore for wanting a nuclear security blanket.

See existing thread
God damn I hate dups!

anyone who didn't see this coming is officially retarded not smart...or a bush-hugger.

[Edited on Feb 10, 2005 by luckyride]

In the simplest of terms, why should the US be the only country to own nuclear weapons?

Before the replies filled with corrections fly, I'm not suggesting that the US is the only country with nuclear weapons. However, fundamentally is anyone suggesting that only the US possesses the leadership, processes, policies, and beliefs that warrant such ownership? Alternatively, do we expand the criteria to include those countries whose beliefs, leadership, processes, and policies are similar to those of the US?

I don't think any country run by a batshit crazy loon should have nukes.

Hmm, I can make sanity of N. Korea's rejection of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

nukes = national security

We in America have a leader who thinks just like ol' Kimmy!

Because no one should have them, but countries that do have them will not give them up. Hence non-proliferation.

Send in F.A.G.

Seriously, N. Korea is scary, especially with Seoul so close and Jong not being the most stable of leaders.

North Korea set us up the bomb!

If we had any leader other than Bush, their claims of "self-defense" wouldn't work. But since Bush invaded Iraq, Korea has a legitimate reason to have nukes. Bush's decision to invade Iraq had a lot more consequences than most American idiots realized at first.

North Korea has been trying to become a nuclear power LONG before the Bush Amdinistration came about..........

Edited because I'm an idiot.


As for the issue at hand, I'd say it's a bad sign, though not entirely surprising. Now that the technological know-how is out there, I think it's going to be really difficult to halt nuclear proliferation in the foreseable future. There will always be another Mohammed Khan willing to prostitute himself to dictatorial leaders in exchange for nuclear technological secrets and hardware. This doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything possible to halt proliferation, but a zero-tolerance policy seems unrealistic to me.

[Edited on Feb 10, 2005 by legionnaire]

Once again, all together now, the News Wire is a separate feature from the boards.

Whatever happened to anti-proliferation on the left? I wouldn't quite say it's dead, but it does appear to be ailing.

To answer Adroitbeing's question, I have no problem living in a world where the possession of nuclear weapons by totaliarian maniacs is resisted by everyone else.

Your input here would be welcome

wellp, ah think ets taime ta turn dat place inta glass, ef ya knaw what ah meen.

Apathy and other causes, I guess. People in the UK are sometimes wary of "the left" because lots of the left were idiots. Todays young 'uns grew up with stories of "the loonie left" in the populist press.

Sure, but a lot of the right-wingers are idiots, too. The Tories are one heck of a pathetic political party, and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon.

Anyway, my point is that the left has always been the champion of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. But the left is slowly ceding that ground to the right. I don't know of a single conservative who thinks it's okay for Kim Jong Il to have nukes. But there are plenty of lefties who shrug at the notion. (This is part of the reason why conservatives have a gigantic foreign policy advantage in the United States.)

I think this is a huge mistake. People on the left and the right should agree on something as basic as this.

I think this qualify as WMD... Thank Jeebus there is no Oil in North Korea ah!

wasn't there some guy who said something about tracking down the tons and tons of unaccounted nuclear material from the former USSR because of states like NK getting their hands on it quite easily? i think he said something else about it being a bigger priority than some vague "war on terror" too.

if only i could remember his name...

john something-or-other.

we're all gonna die why not go out with a bang?

uuuuuhhhhhhmmmm... Hasn't North Korea been screaming this information at us for quite a while? Is this really news?

And while agree that their possesing nukes a very, very bad thing, I don't think that the U.S. has a very good position from which to lecture them about it; what with Rummy jerking off over the thought of developing MORE nukes right here in the 'ol US of A. And our leaders seem to be about as grounded in reality as 'ol Kimbo over there, so I'm pretty sure that we shouldn't have them either.

[Edited on Feb 10, 2005 7:02PM]

Hmmm,

this sure should complicate the case / machinations that the u.s. is currently making to invade Iran...

Make that totalitarian maniacs who rule countries the way 11-year-old boys would. Totalitarian maniacs who kidnap their favorite movie directors and actresses to make films and their favorite Italian chefs to build pizza overs. Totalitarian maniacs who have ghostwriters pump out 250 books a year.

Oh, step a little bit more over to the left, Mr. Hans Brix...