Korea: North Korea´s nuclear taunts

Economist ^ | 01/22/04

[endthematrix]

Well I get my TECHNICAL info from the Internet. Oak Ridge Labs, Sandia, Los Alamos, Livermore, Congressional testimony, etc. There is something called FREEDOM OF INFORMATION. I have right to it...well at least the right to information what the powers that be say I can have. And that is all well and good. I know that our production was way down and that efforts to boost production was NOT in effect for the near term. This was per info prior to 9/11.

[clee1]

I wasn't sure of your familiarity with the technical details or the science behind it. I read the Clancey book just prior to a long conversation w/ my relative - I was amazed at just how accurate the book's explanation was. I am not a physicist myself, either. Just a reasonably well educated IT professional with couple of nuclear eggheads in the family (one was an engineering officer aboard a LA-class sub).

The internet is great for research, isn't it?

I'd bet good money that we are manufacturing tritium again, now that the adults are in charge. The Klintoons didn't want to spend a dime on anything defense-related. Tritium has several military applications other than nuclear weapons, and I can't imagine us not keeping our strategic stockpile up to snuff.

[LibertarianInExile]

I don't know of a situation where we've tested NERT on an expended nuke...maybe your relative does. Seems likely from what you say it will work. But again, we're talking about samples where we know the source being compared. I don't know that Il's stuff is a known source.

Even the knowledge that the material is not from a "known source" is valuable - and other indicators will give away the manufacturer of it anyway. Were not talking about evidence in a US court; just enough reliable factors that would allow the US government to retaliate for an attack.

Okay, now THAT is a statement I can agree with--there MAY be enough idea of who did it that perhaps we can justify an attack. That would not necessarily placate the uproar of international opinion after we nuke someone, not that I give a rat's rectum what the U.N., the French, or their pals think. In fact, the reason I fell in line behind GWB against Iraq was simply that the U.N. said we COULD NOT go in without their permission. F them and their appeasenik b.s. Our country decides where its national interests lie and what actions we'll take to defend them, not the U.N., not anybody.

[Remember_Salamis]

We have three options with North Korea:

1. Cut a deal and hope the regime magically collapses on its own (ala 1994 agreed framework); if that fails, it's the next administration's problem

2. encourage Japan to go nuclear; the way i see it (to play off an old NRA phrase) "nukes don't kill people, people kill people". When was the last time we worried about British nukes? never! In fact, we should let China know of our intentions to "let" Japan go nuclear. That might be the only thing that'll get the Chinese to cut the lifelines to The Chonger.

3. Blockade, followed by war if necessary. This is the idea being endorsed by Richard Perle and David Frum (who wrote the axis of evil speech) in their new book "An End to Evil". Basically, our ground forces are stretched extremely thin right now, but our air and naval isn't. Therefore, we conduct an economic blockade against NK. If the Chonger lashes out, it's eventual national suicide. If the blockade last for a couple of years, our forces should be untied from Iraq by then (and we would have reconstituted most of the guidance packages expended during OIF).

What's your pick???

[TigerLikesRooster]

(1) junk current 6-way talk after the election

(2) threaten to follow #2 enough to make China step on N. Korea again.

(3) the incremental blockade to put pressure on N. Korea economically.

(4) step up the preparation for eventual showdown for bluffing and the eventual follow-through if bluffing does not work.

(5) hope for internal crack and the sacking of Kim Jong-il.

(6) if (5) does not materialize, go for the bang.