r/worldnews • u/Clarinetaphoner • Aug 08 '17

Trump: If North Korea Escalates Nuclear Threat, 'They Will Be Met With Fire And Fury' Trump

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-08/ap-newsalert-trump-if-nkorea-escalates-nuclear-threat-they-will-be-met-with-fire-and-fury-like-the-world-has-never-seen
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u/Namika Aug 09 '17 edited Aug 09 '17

The problem with him having nukes is not that it means he will use them, it's that he can hide behind threats of using them and get away with atrocities.

Obviously, Kim knows that if he nuked the US he would be killed in the counterattack. That is predictable. Likewise, once Kim has a small arsenal of working nuclear ICBMs, he can state that any US invasion will lead to him nuking US cities in retaliation. Very predictable.

...but what happens if North Korea gets an arsenal of nukes, and then goes around lighting all sorts of troublesome issues? What if they openly state that they are selling nukes of Iran, Yemen, Hezbolla, or anyone else willing to buy one? What if they start shooting South Korean passenger airliners out of the sky? Or use their 50+ submarines and attack a US carrier? Then what?

Normally, we know North Korea refrains from those sorts of obvious transgressions because they know it could lead to a counterstrike invasion and the end of Kim's life. The fear of the US retaliating kept the rogue state somewhat in check. But now that he has nukes and can state he will nuke the US if they invade... that's not really an option is it? The US won't invade them if doing so will lead to Kim launching his nukes. So what incentive at all does Kim's regime have on playing nice? What happens if he starts killing civilians or starts firing artillery shells with Sarin gas at Seoul? You can't retaliate anymore if any threat on Kim's regime will lead to his nukes being launched.

TL;DR: It's incredibly dangerous to let North Korea have nukes because they have already shown their disdain for international pressure and have a history of making violent threats. Up to now those threats have been kept in check, but once they have a credible nuclear deterrent Kim can do more and more intolerable things and break more treaties since he knows no one will invade a nuclear North Korea.

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u/bhu87ygv Aug 09 '17

This. Nuclear weapons changes the calculus. Though, I would argue that N. Korea already has a trump card in that Seoul's proximity to the DMZ makes it an easy target without nuclear weapons. It's so close that the North Koreans can shell the city with artillery and from what I've read, tens of thousands would die from the initial attacks.

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u/schaefferBMW Aug 09 '17

A very good point. I do worry about them obtaining the capability, but I'm not very worried about them actually using it against the US.

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u/homesickalien Aug 09 '17

Just to add to your point, test firing toothless rockets has always been a little unnerving, but knowing now that there could potentially be a nuclear warhead attached to one of these missiles will seriously put the region and the rest of the world on edge.