Your reaction if we went to war with North Korea?

[Shiftygiant]

That depends. As someone who has an interest in this kind of thing, I can firmly say that if North Korea attack first, even with their nuclear weapons, the regime will get pounded into the dirt and you suddenly have 25 million people who have been brainwashed their entire lives taking up space in China or the Reunified Korea, which spells a humanitarian crisis. China will not assist them because of a deal with America and the South, and America wouldn't attack at risk of pissing off China who still have to pretend they care.

The ultimate question is why would either side attack? Neither will gain much from it, so what could be possibly accomplished?

To answer your questions:
1. China gets involved and it becomes a quagmire of a cluserfuck.
2. North Korea is pounded into the dirt, possible a guerrilla war much like what Russia Experienced following the Chechnian Wars. This is also the likely outcome of 1.
3. North Korea is pounded into the dirt.

 

[Mumbly]

The ultimate question is why would either side attack? Neither will gain much from it, so what could be possibly accomplished?

The only thing that could get accomplished would literally be "A bunch of smartasses who never felt real hardship feeling a little bigger and manlier because damn we showed those fuckers didn't we huh!"

 

[Saltarius]

Mostly I'd just be disappointed.

The U.S. needs to stop fucking with other countries and start fixing its homebound issues.

 

[Risingblade]

Wouldn't be worth it, we'd lose too many soldiers unless we were just planning to capetbomb the shit out of NK without any care to civilian casualties.

 

[zumbledum]

well correct me if im wrong but isnt USA technically still at war with NK from the last time around, something didnt get signed at the armistice or something.

to answer the op i guess i would just hope my country isn't retarded enough to join the idiocy.

 

[Fox12]

I don't think we should get involved, personally. The best thing we can do is make sure Japan and South Korea can defend themselves. I don't see the need to get involved unless China does something, and neither the U.S. or China want war.

But hypothetically? I suppose it could be possible to create regime change with little involvement. I think we could easily dismantle North Korea, if we wanted. I just don't think just don't think it's our place to play world police.

 

[Zontar]

Well my reaction would be about the same as it is now, given the fact that the UN (yes, the UN, the whole thing) is still officially at war with North Korea, as the war never actually ended. Now if the cease fire ended I'd think it's about time we took down the Kim Dynasty, and would be overjoyed at the fall of the last cold war style communist state in the land that time forgot.

well correct me if im wrong but isnt USA technically still at war with NK from the last time around, something didnt get signed at the armistice or something.

Not just the US, literally the whole UN is. This came about since at the time China's seat on the council was empty due to no one knowing weather or not it should be in the hands of the reds or legitimate government which had escaped to Taipei. The Soviets where abstaining in protest, which lead to all nations with veto power not using it when the vote came for military action.

 

[zumbledum]

The US doesn't really have a reason to go to war with NK unless they were provoked. In any case, North Korea is fucked in every which way to Sunday. They not only lack the level of technology that the US and their Allies possess, but they also lack the man power. The US alone has 145 million people ready for war while NK has only 12 million. If other countries had a reason to get involved, the war would be so one sided that I feel bad just thinking about it.

but as they lost to Korea the first time around then lost to Vietnam then failed to do the job in Iraq, then spent 10 years loosing in Afghanistan and finally on the second go got Iraq down , we can kind of conclude none of that matters for beans. because as soon as those bodies start coming back to dover it becomes political suicide to back any war, or to put it basically your a republic you dont have the balls for empire.

 

[laggyteabag]

In any case, i'd be pretty shit-scared, not because I feel like North Korea have a chance of actually winning, but because a war against an actual organised military force with nuclear warheads at its disposal just seems scary to me. I have every confidence that NK could be crushed by US forces alone, but the casualties would be immense, especially when you are fighting against a country with a population of people who were brainwashed practically from birth to believe that North Korea is the greatest country in the world.

If China were to join North Korea's side, however, that would be an entirely different story.

Not that North Korea would ever realistically provoke the US/ a US allied country and go to war with them. They can throw around as many threats as they would like, but unless they have secretly been creating an unstoppable mecha army, they would be hilariously outmatched and outgunned.

 

[Zontar]

The US doesn't really have a reason to go to war with NK unless they were provoked. In any case, North Korea is fucked in every which way to Sunday. They not only lack the level of technology that the US and their Allies possess, but they also lack the man power. The US alone has 145 million people ready for war while NK has only 12 million. If other countries had a reason to get involved, the war would be so one sided that I feel bad just thinking about it.

but as they lost to Korea the first time around then lost to Vietnam then failed to do the job in Iraq, then spent 10 years loosing in Afghanistan and finally on the second go got Iraq down , we can kind of conclude none of that matters for beans. because as soon as those bodies start coming back to dover it becomes political suicide to back any war, or to put it basically your a republic you dont have the balls for empire.

Uh, you do realize that the Korean war is still going on, right? As in, literally no one has won it, we've never sat down and had one side sign a treaty with the other, other then the cease fire that is currently in place.

As for Vietnam, that was a classic military victory which lead to defeat due to politics at home, but that's another issue.

I'll leave Iraq round 2 alone (no one is disputing that the goal of round 1 was not accomplished), but Afghanistan has in all measurable ways been a victory. The goal was literally just overthrow the Taliban, kill Al Quida and install the closest thing one could expect a democratic government in a nation with a failed state level economy to allow to function. There isn't any way to say we've lost that one, not in the way the Soviets did. Hell, unless Al Quida or the Taliban somehow manage to take power again after we leave we'd manage the title of being the first nations to win in Afghanistan since the Mongols.

 

[chocolate pickles]

About time. The sooner we put a bullet in Kim Jong-un's face, the better.

 

[San Martin]

It would be an absolutely terrible idea, and I would be 100 percent behind it because I'm a bad man.

 

[Darks63]

I wouldnt care.

We have people whose JOB/duty is to protect me, so at least they would have something to do.

And i work in a market where such a thing would have no financial impact on me.

Worst comes to worst, ill move to Australia, im not really happy with how America is.

It could have an impact on you if the NK manage to hit SK hard enough. SK produces alot of consumer electronics sold over here. Also likely the US would have to do a NK version of the Marshall plan to rebuild so more taxes. If the US doesn't do that SK has to the rebuilding with UN funding which will likely mean the US still pays for it.

 

[MHR]

.

Fourth thought; wait, are we invading or just sending in a bunch of killbots to bomb shit? We can kinda sorta almost afford that

This. If all we have to do is press some buttons and blow up that stupid golden statue of Kim Jong Il, and turn Kim Jong Un into swiss cheese, I say do it. That'll shut them up.

Feet on the ground in NK? What's the point? You'll get that worthless NK mud on our good fightin' boots just to fight brainwashed poverty people. There's nothing we want in NK, other than the leadership dead and maybe those people released from the work camps.

 

[Vivi22]

Only a tiny fraction of those 145 million[footnote]I take it you mean men. Women can serve in various roles in the US military, and that of nations being invaded[/footnote] would ever be involved, though. A much greater proportion of NK's 12 million would have to be involved, whether it wanted to or not.

Now, certainly, the "war", would be one-sided, but the "peace" would likely resemble the Vietnam war.

Or Iraq. Everyone remember when combat operations ceased back in what was it, 2003? That there are probably people on this board that aren't old enough to remember disturbs me.

But it is true that the actual war would be one sided. Much as an actual war between most countries militaries and the US would be one sided. Much as I hate it, there is no country better at projecting military force anywhere in the world with minimum risk to their actual soldiers as far as risk in a war goes.

 

[Paragon Fury]

The US doesn't really have a reason to go to war with NK unless they were provoked. In any case, North Korea is fucked in every which way to Sunday. They not only lack the level of technology that the US and their Allies possess, but they also lack the man power. The US alone has 145 million people ready for war while NK has only 12 million. If other countries had a reason to get involved, the war would be so one sided that I feel bad just thinking about it.

but as they lost to Korea the first time around then lost to Vietnam then failed to do the job in Iraq, then spent 10 years loosing in Afghanistan and finally on the second go got Iraq down , we can kind of conclude none of that matters for beans. because as soon as those bodies start coming back to dover it becomes political suicide to back any war, or to put it basically your a republic you dont have the balls for empire.

Uh, you do realize that the Korean war is still going on, right? As in, literally no one has won it, we've never sat down and had one side sign a treaty with the other, other then the cease fire that is currently in place.

As for Vietnam, that was a classic military victory which lead to defeat due to politics at home, but that's another issue.

I'll leave Iraq round 2 alone (no one is disputing that the goal of round 1 was not accomplished), but Afghanistan has in all measurable ways been a victory. The goal was literally just overthrow the Taliban, kill Al Quida and install the closest thing one could expect a democratic government in a nation with a failed state level economy to allow to function. There isn't any way to say we've lost that one, not in the way the Soviets did. Hell, unless Al Quida or the Taliban somehow manage to take power again after we leave we'd manage the title of being the first nations to win in Afghanistan since the Mongols.

We lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not because we didn't accomplish our objectives; but rather because Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban and AQ accomplished their mission 150% better than we did, and got the bonus of baiting us into an even bigger disaster.

I seriously wouldn't have been surprised if the Navy SEALS had reported that OBL was laughing at them during the raid and as they killed him.

 

[tilmoph]

The US doesn't really have a reason to go to war with NK unless they were provoked. In any case, North Korea is fucked in every which way to Sunday. They not only lack the level of technology that the US and their Allies possess, but they also lack the man power. The US alone has 145 million people ready for war while NK has only 12 million. If other countries had a reason to get involved, the war would be so one sided that I feel bad just thinking about it.

but as they lost to Korea the first time around then lost to Vietnam then failed to do the job in Iraq, then spent 10 years loosing in Afghanistan and finally on the second go got Iraq down , we can kind of conclude none of that matters for beans. because as soon as those bodies start coming back to dover it becomes political suicide to back any war, or to put it basically your a republic you dont have the balls for empire.

Ok 1. How in the hell did the US lose in the Korean War? The point was to stop the North from conquering the south; in case you haven't noticed a map recently, the North has not conquered the South.
2. Yeah, Vietnam was fucked. Sure, we killed fucktons of Commies, but the commies were the closest things to goods guys in that one. To massively oversimplify, we went to war against their George Washington for a puppet government that was pushing Catholicism so hard it made monks burn themselves in protest. We weren't really going to achieve much there.
3. Again, Afghanistan was a win; Taliban is out of power, AL-qaida on the ropes, and an almost kinda functional government, which given this is Afghanistan is as good as anyone is ever going to get.
4. Iraq 2 was a (pointless, expensive as shit, waste of money we abso-goddamn-lutley didn't have to spend) win; Saddam dead, Iraqi military pulped. The occupation failed because, to be blunt, Iraq was a tribalistic failure from the word go, held together by some asshole. ISIS is not our fault; we gave the Iraqis all the weapons and training they needed to hold them off, they just failed. The Kurds didn't fucking fail, but the other Iraqis did. It's not our jobs to save the from their own failure.

As to empire building; why? Why the hell would a tottering ex-superpower possibly want to waste yet more money we don't have to conquer some other places when we can just trade for what we want? Empire building in the traditional sense offers us nothing, while making all of the problems we're getting buried under worse.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Fifth thought; Can the rest of the planet handle this? Like, without our broke fat asses? Because I don't wanna. We're poor, we don't need more war, other people need more war. Or police actions or what the fuck ever.

In conclusion; North Korea is a godawful shithole. I don't wanna bomb them if someone else can do it.

pretty much this.

as much as they NEED the ass kicking, some one else really needs to be the one to do it for once.

 

[Zontar]

We lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not because we didn't accomplish our objectives; but rather because Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban and AQ accomplished their mission 150% better than we did, and got the bonus of baiting us into an even bigger disaster.

I seriously wouldn't have been surprised if the Navy SEALS had reported that OBL was laughing at them during the raid and as they killed him.

No, I doubt that, given he used a human shield I think he was about as happy about the whole thing as anyone who had spent a decade in hiding while their organization was systematically eradicated would. The wars have done more then just wipe out their bases of operation, they've eliminated the competent within their ranks. There's a reason why these days AQ is taking just as many casualties from infighting as it is from NATO or local security forces, the organization has become fractured to the point of not being operable. They where a symble to rally around, and as both that and a functional unit they've been smashed.

Now the issue is ISIS, the new symbol for radicals to form around which is spreading from one Muslim state to the next. Though pretty much contained to western Iraq and eastern Syria (outside of a lone city in Libya) we've had to make a choice when dealing with them. Either the pragmatic choice to not intervene and let the locals deal with it on their own, or the moral one to help stop the militants where they stand (as it stands I feel we haven't gone far enough due to Washington and London not wanting this to turn into another occupation of Iraq).