North Korea threatens to withdraw from summit with Trump

[Dill]

(05-10-2019, 03:52 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: And we should have fully commited at that time and kicked the Chinese back across the Yalu River.

LOL, Geez B, what is your attraction to massive land wars in Asia? 

Kicking the Chinese back turned out to be not very easy. MacArthur wanted to use nukes before we had ICBMs--and on a Soviet client state.

(05-10-2019, 03:52 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: You mean a puppet like Taiwan/Formosa? Or one like Afghanistan?

Prior to the Pakis getting the Bomb (with North Korean aid), we could have buddied up with India. This would have been a far greater concern for China than North Korea (which is part of how the Pakis got the bomb, IMO).

We did buddy up with India. Sort of. They valued non-alignment for decades though, as did China. I think it makes good sense now to get and keep them in our camp, as China climbs to super power status.

(05-10-2019, 03:52 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Facing North Korea alone with conventional forces is do-able.

Maybe, but I guess our disagreement here is in estimation of the costs.

(05-10-2019, 03:52 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Even facing North Korea amd China is do-able. And if the other side decided to use nukes, either scenario is even more do-able.

Yow! No B'zona. You cannot mean we could somehow invade and defeat China with conventional forces. Or what do you mean by a "do-able," especially one leading to a likely nuclear exchange? Could one even engage without reinstating the draft--while still engaged in the war on Terror?

(05-10-2019, 03:52 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Not sure why we are so afraid of China.

Overrated, as the current administration has proven. Do what we want, put a spin on it, and disregard any nay-sayers.

It's not about being "afraid" of China. Their defense is to make the cost of invading them prohibitively high. 

I don't think we can keep pre-emptively striking countries and maintain an international system slanted in favor of the US and its allies, as we currently have.  The current administration is stretching that system to its limits, perhaps irreversibly damaging it, not proving we can get away with stuff.

Now we are trying to force 5 countries to bend to our will on Iran, against their national interests, and we just upped the stakes of our trade war with one.

But had we invaded NK back in 2003, I think that would have done more damage than the Iraq war and Trump diplomacy.  Also, you can't prove a negative in this case, so your arguments that we had prevented NK getting a nuke would not carry much weight. To the world we would be the international bully.  Would we still be occupying the North, as we remain in A-stan?