Printable View
I'm not sure NK trusts (or can trust) China anymore for it's defence, atleast now NK shows willingness to stand on it's own. BTW, South Korea also had it's own nuclear program, officially it dropped the program in the seventies, but later confessed enriching uranium as late as 2000, why would N Korea trust it's Southern rival to have stopped it now?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkmoon
It's right old mess. :)
I would't go as far, they did pressure us a lot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eki
It's notable that Sweden did have a nuclear program to fend of Soviet Union, but they scrapped it in the sixties. Apparently they could produce a nuke in relatively short time if ever felt the need.
True, but it was very subtle compared to the rhetoric the US has used against North Korea, not to mention the sanctions. Finland's relationship with the Soviet Union was mutually beneficial. They never put any sanctions on us or fortify the border. Instead they traded with us to the point they were so much in debt to us that it took Russia 15 years to pay off that debt. The Soviet Union didn't have the "with us or against us policy", they were mostly satisfied that Finland wasn't against them.Quote:
Originally Posted by janneppi
About North Korea and iran, who saw what happened in Irak... some dictators saw what happened to one of their kind and, scared, began developing their own weapons. We have many Iraqis in Bulgaria, they all supported the war. They show some photos on TV - things which Saddam did to those people, who tried to disagree with him.
He had put their faces in acid, then left them alive, scared and disfigured hideously forever. Saddam is dead now, but his regime deserved to fall. It was a terrible tyranny and no matter why the USA destroyed it, it was the right thing to do.
Some seem to believe the Supreme Leader doesn't like the president that much. Could it mean he's not that "insane" after all?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkmoon
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,246942,00.html
"There is another sign that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is losing support in high places. The age.com reports Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has snubbed a request by Ahmadinejad to discuss the country's nuclear program. A newspaper owned by Ali Khamenei has already called for the president to stay out of the international debate on the issue — which has resulted in U.N. sanctions.
The ayatollah's refusal to meet with Ahmadinejad is said to be a first — and an indication of growing unrest within the Iranian leadership over the president's hardline policies."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eki
Ya, Finland was going to invade Russia? No one in their RIGHT Mind would think of that, including the most paranoid Russians. The US on the other hand would have invaded North Korea years ago if they thought the North Koreans were a threat. By building the nukes, they are now more a threat then they were before.
IF anything, they are more likely to be threatened by having a missle for offensive purposes. That said, the US isn't adding more troops to South Korea. South Korea toyed with nukes but was told by the Americans that wouldn't be a good idea. China doesn't want to see Nukes on the Korean penisula either, because their presence of Nukes means China doesn't hold all the cards in this part of the world.
North Korea is a crappy little autocratic dump with a standard of living so low, that it has no business spending the money it does on a military. South Korea would be told flat out by the Americans to leave the North Koreans alone if North Korea didn't have the army it does have. The Korean war was if you remember started by the Communist North invading the Pro-Western South. Yet another war started by dictatorial thugs that is now a hangover in the mess on the 38th parallel. We have millions of troops facing each other because it is obvious the one side cannot be trusted and the paranoid North Koreans are happy to keep everyone guessing how they cannot be trusted. The US has no interest in invading it. Why? What would be the benefit? If you believe the Yanks invaded Iraq for oil, you have to understand the North Koreans are lucky to have grass because people there have had to EAT it because of the way the country is run. There is nothing there that the US would want, and the only reason the South would have an interest is to libreate basically their cousins and reunite a country that was split by the start of the "cold war". The North Korean government makes the Chinese look like enlightened democrats when it comes to human rights.....
No...North Korea is a dump by its own design. Even the Chinese think they are nuts with this Nuclear program. Just like giving Iran an nuclear reactor when the nation is floating in oil "For energy purposes" is a lie too.
All these nations seem to think they will get more respect with nuclear weapons, and in a sense they do, but they would get more respect if they ran nations on democratic principles and human rights. To defend their right to build nukes ignores how the autocratic thugs who run these nations treat their own people.
AS for the Chinese and their anti satellite weapon, no one has ever really shown how adding more weapons to the space race is going to convince other nations to pull theirs out.
I have stated it before, I state it now, it isn't the democratic nations of the west that start wars against other democratic nations. It is only the autocratic and dictator run nations that are threatened by the US and others. If you want proof of this, look at the nations of the former east bloc that have become democracies. What happened? By the paranoid anti-American's best theories, they would be in more danger of invasion. The opposite occured. They were invited to join the EU often and also NATO. Invited, not invaded....
You want peace in this world, be in a nation that is run on a peaceful succession of leaders, respect for freedom of the indiviudal, and freedom of thought and speech. If you want to be invaded, just become such an obnoxious pain - in - the - @ss that even an "idiot" like George W. Bush can convince 53 democratic nations to invade you.
Until people on here realize they are defending thugs and despots for anti-American propaganda, I guess I will keep saying it....
Actually, when they invaded Finland in 1939, the main justification for the invasion they claimed was that Finland was a threat to Leningrad. The other justification they claimed was that they were going to "liberate" the Finnish working class from their fascist and capitalist leaders. The excuses Bush gave for invading Iraq weren't that original. And I'm sure someone had used similar excuses even before Stalin.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
The South Koreans know they would have to fight and kill their cousins in order to liberate them, so I'm not sure if most of them would like to try it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
Burning their oil for electricity would be extremely stupid when they can refine it to gasoline, plastics and other petrochemicals for a higher profit. Finland has a lot of wood to burn, but 30% of its electricity comes from nuclear power. Why? Because nuclear energy is still the cheapest way to produce huge amounts of electricity and it's more friendly to the environment than burning wood or oil.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
I said no one in their RIGHT MIND Eki would believe the Finn's would invade. Stalin was a lot of things, but sane wasn't one of them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eki