north korea bomb testing

Historically the Yank President of the time deflects the problems faced domestically by bringing the worlds attention to something further afield. Things must be bad in the US at the mo then.

It always puzzles me how the Yanks always take such a high ground on other countries developing nukes. Yes, we want a nuke-free world, but arent they highly hypocritical seeing as the only nation to use nukes in anger is the US themselves?

out of interest, Russia is believed to have eighty times the nuclear warfare capability of the UK.

Team America, brilliant film, Hans Blix meets a very untidy end though does he not ripped to pieces by a shark. Don't they slaughter Matt Damon in it as well !

Medders, you're not wrong.

The whole thing is based on twisted logic. It's a race to the bottom and we're all going to lose. A quote from our very own John Reid on the future of Britain's Trident Nuclear weapons programme: "I defy anyone here to say we will not need a nuclear weapon in 20 to 50 years time. We have always maintained that as long as some other nuclear state which is a potential threat has nuclear weapons we will retain ours. That is the assumption from which we start but it has to be tested in discussions with others and it will be".

I'm sure that's the kind of logic that drives N. Korea et al in this race to the bottom (We need 'em cos you 'ave 'em. If you've got them, why can't we?), and if AFKA's right, we're all doooommmmmmmmeeed!

Time to build a Charlton Life: Bunker, the next project after Operation Cottage and The Valley Tour... Gawd help us!

Not just the fact that North Korea seems determined to continue its nuclear programme, but more the fact the likelihood of who they would possibly sell the potential weapons to.

It's who sold THEM the technology in the first place, not the other way around.

The US had the opportunity to engage in constructive talks with North Korea when the August 2005 outline deal was signed. They deliberately failed to take it - and continued parallel pressure on North Korea by pursuing their money-laundering allegations and racheting-up the military tension via their regular exercises with South Korea. Nations get the A bomb not to go to war with other nations but to defend themselves against those who have it already.

The US negotiators knew full well that the North Koreans would see these issues as provocative and threatening.....but hoped/thought that this would force the North Koreans into capitulation and negotiating from a position of extreme weakness. As most rational people would expect of an extremely weak but sovereign nation, when pushed into a corner and repeatedly kicked by the strongest global superpower, they have now lashed out in response to this excessive pressure with the nuclear test.

Nobody but the most credulous and stupid people can possibly think that North Korea has - or ever will have - the technology to deliver a nuclear warhead to the US mainland [and why would they wish to - when it is 100% certain that the response would obliterate them?]. However, those who are really in the firing line in this dispute [South Korea, China and Japan] are making a big mistake by letting the US neocon agenda continue to have undue influence on their relations with North Korea.

IMO the only way for there to be progress on the nuclear issue is for the USA to butt out of the entire process and leave it to South Korea, China and Japan to come to an agreement with North Korea. There is no obligation on the USA to involve itself in every single global dispute - and, in the case of North Korea, there is no shortage of very responsible global powers who have a keen interest in resolving the nuclear issue [the six-way talks included Russia, China and Japan] on the Korean peninsula.

The USA has actually been a very large part of the problem - and now's the time for them to butt right out of negotiations and allow the others to reach a solution. The US has no business in interfering in South-East Asia, and is only there trying to hang on to its historical World War Two position of influence because of pure self-interest, which just happens to be diametrically opposed to what is actually in the interests of the region itself - and the rest of the world.

would it be fair to say BFR that you are always likely to hold an anti-US view in all types of these discussions ?


Don't confuse anti-Bush with US they are different entities. Learn to appreciate the difference then we'll continue the debate.

[cite] BlackForestReds:[/cite] Learn to appreciate the difference then we'll continue the debate.

LOL

Ok, will do.

BUt don't hold your breath.

If that's a debate, then i really don't want a lecture :-)

Thing about the yanks particularly under Bush, is that they do stuff that is downright wrong/highly questionable - like guantanamo bay, etc - which makes anything they do that might have something good about it - like trying to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction - seem like double standards.

very worriying. North Korea hold all the cards i mean what can any other countries do? They are largely independant so economic and trading sanctions won't matter to much and Bush etc can't threaten them with force as they hold this nuclear weapon.

Ut -Oh...............

the sun headline was brilliant, as was the one inside 'bad korea move'

the only well korea will play bull is if China gets tough with them, and though they may issue a few hollow words, i can't see that happening.

[cite]Posted By: BlackForestReds[/cite]. Learn to appreciate the difference then we'll continue the debate.

Good to see you've always been a total knobend.

strange that north korea doings cause outrage but america and the tiny country of israel can have as many weapons of mass destruction as they want.

Yeah fair enough. I can see how that looks condescending. Still think it's a good point though.