War with North Korea

[Salus]

North Korea resumed missle testing yesterday and their talk regarding war is getting more and more heated. Do you think war will be avoided with NK?

[Ryokan]

North Korea isn't suicidal, I hope.

[Solly]

What he said. (How about that Ryo!!) I think they're after concessions.

[Ryokan]

Me too. We should bribe them, (but South Korea and Japan should help us, not leave us in the cold). Sooner or later, internal pressure will cause them to fall, and the international community will have to help SOuth Korea rebuild them.

[Sauron]

I wish we had such a patient policy towards Iraq. The same thing would probably happen there; Saddam can't rule forever, nor can he live forever.

[Ryokan]

There is a difference, I think. I think that the game I am advocating playing with N.Korea is very dangerous. I just think its less dangerous than starting a war that will lead to over a million civilian casuality not counting dead soldiers and assuming nobody throws a nuke. Iraq, on the other hand, isn't in any position right now to cause that kind of trouble. It would be a good show of resolve to all the North Koreas of the world that proliferation is unacceptable and that if you don't play ball, the US is willing to fight. It would also give the US an alternative base of operations in the mid east besides Saudi Arabia, and maybe we won't destabilize our allies so much. I firmly believe the Saudi's would have reformed like people are always talking about, if US troops weren't there.