the rationale for the U.S. having nuclear weapons is that the U.S. has them as a defensive measure. there is a fear that North Korea would use nuclear weapons to defeat their enemies.
the first part of that argument is not a good one. the second part is, at least, arguable.
There is fear.
But the official statement by N. Korea is that their arms are for defense.
There is no trust.
If we don't trust them, then we will end up only fearing them.
If we won't trust them, that theirs are for defense, then how can they trust us that ours are for defense?
But the official statement by N. Korea is that their arms are for defense.
There is no trust.
If we don't trust them, then we will end up only fearing them.
If we won't trust them, that theirs are for defense, then how can they trust us that ours are for defense?
What reason have they to trust us?
i am not arguing anything here. i think we should get rid of our nuclear (read: nuke-u-lar) weapons if we are going to hold fast to our desire that other nations not possess them. if we have them and say they are for defense then other nations should be able to say the same...this should not be a do as i say, not as i do situation.
But the official statement by N. Korea is that their arms are for defense.
There is no trust.
If we don't trust them, then we will end up only fearing them.
If we won't trust them, that theirs are for defense, then how can they trust us that ours are for defense?
What reason have they to trust us?
Hmmmmm....trust N. Korea.....hmmmmmm
Anyway, N. Korea is nothing but a "puppet" (for lack of a better term) for China. Taiwan is a stick in thier side, NK is a stick in ours. So US and China are even on stick-in-sides.
i am not arguing anything here. i think we should get rid of our nuclear (read: nuke-u-lar) weapons if we are going to hold fast to our desire that other nations not possess them. if we have them and say they are for defense then other nations should be able to say the same...this should not be a do as i say, not as i do situation.
Again, look at the history of why we have them, and still have them today. The "we should get rid of our nukes so others do too" is stupid. It will not happen. US gives up nukes, China or Russia say: Thanks, thats a nice thing to do. Good bye Taiwan.
(ya ya ya, US the first and only to use. We already covered that)
Again, look at the history of why we have them, and still have them today. The "we should get rid of our nukes so others do too" is stupid. It will not happen. US gives up nukes, China or Russia say: Thanks, thats a nice thing to do. Good bye Taiwan.
(ya ya ya, US the first and only to use. We already covered that)
Well - we wouldn't give up our guns for nothing - what about if we give up our nukes, then Taiwan gets solidarity or something?
By FOSTER KLUG, Associated Press WriterThu Oct 5, 1:33 PM ET
The United States warned North Korea anew on Thursday not to test a nuclear weapon. "It isn't in their interest and it isn't in anyone's interest," the top U.S. negotiator on the communist country's nuclear program said.
"We will not accept a nuclear state," Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told AP Television as he urged North Korea to resume negotiations that have involved six nations.
The United States has sent a message of "deep concern" to the North through diplomatic channels at the United Nations in New York, Hill said Wednesday. He did not elaborate on the message, except to say the North Koreans had received it and had not yet responded.
The North Korean announcement gave no date for any test, but U.S. intelligence agencies are keeping close watch over activity at possible test sites in the North.
"If they think that by exploding a weapon, that somehow we will come to terms with it, we won't," Hill told reporters after an appearance at the Johns Hopkins University's school of international studies. "If they think that firing off a weapon will somehow make them a part of some sort of nuclear club, they should think again."
The United States and North Korea have no diplomatic relations outside deadlocked six-nation nuclear talks and rarely communicate with each other so directly. That gives the U.S. message a seriousness that exceeds the public statements Washington has issued so far.
Hill would not discuss policy options, but he said senior U.S. diplomats, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, were in steady communication with their counterparts in Asia and Europe.
In the event of a nuclear test, Hill said, "We would have no choice but to act and act resolutely to make sure (North Korea) understood, and make sure every other country in the world understands, that this is a very bad mistake."
The U.S. message to North Korea came as Washington sought to marshal a unified diplomatic front against a possible nuclear test.
Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi agreed Wednesday that if North Korea should test, international sanctions were one of the tools both nations would expect the Security Council to consider, a State Department official said.
Meanwhile, the United States was paying close attention to movement at possible North Korean nuclear test sites, but authorities cautioned against reading too much into every movement during this heightened period of interest.
A U.S. intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the highly sensitive situation with North Korea, said the United States is now seeing the movement of people, materials and vehicles and other activity around one possible test site. But, the official said, it could be similar to activity seen a couple of months ago. Then, no test occurred.
The United States has spy satellites and other eavesdropping equipment aimed at North Korea, including ground-based seismic sensors.
At the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton discussed the matter with the Security Council, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said, and the United States would "hope to see some action there in the near future."
In Asia, North Korea's neighbors worked to forge a common front against Pyongyang's threat. Japan, China and South Korea announced a series of summit meetings during the next week to repair damaged ties and coordinate a strategy for dealing with North Korea.
While North Korean leader Kim Jong Il may decide to hold the test, it cannot be ruled out that Tuesday's threat was saber-rattling, an effort to force a change in stalled nuclear negotiations or some other motivating factor.
A U.S. government official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said Pyongyang could hold a nuclear test with little or no warning. The calculation, the official said, is political, rather than technical, because North Korea is believed to have such a device.
The North Korean government's public statement gave it an opportunity to gauge what world reaction might be; U.S. authorities are treating the statement with seriousness and do not see it as pure bluster, the official said.
Intelligence agencies also are considering dates for a possible test that might be of interest to Kim, the country's ruler.
Oct. 8, for example, marks the anniversary of Kim's ascension as head of the Workers' Party of Korea in 1997. It also would coincide with the likely approval of South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon to become secretary general of the United Nations.
Kofi Annan steps down from the post on Dec. 31, and the U.N. Security Council has set Oct. 9 to elect his successor.
By BO-MI LIM, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 26 minutes ago
North Korea said Tuesday it will conduct a nuclear test in the face of what it claimed was "the U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war," ratcheting up tensions amid international pressure to return to negotiations on its atomic program.
The United States warned a North Korean nuclear test "would pose an unacceptable threat to peace and stability." South Korea raised its security level, and Japan promised a severe response if the threat was carried out.
The statement from Pyongyang gave no precise date for a test, but the prospect that North Korea could soon take a major step forward in its nuclear weapons development triggered alarm and condemnation in foreign capitals, including Russia and the European Union. North Korea has a recent history of making provocative statements while refraining from an all-out confrontation with its chief enemy, the United States.
"The U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a self-defense measure in response," the North's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, using its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The Bush administration, which has denied it has any intention of attacking the communist nation, denounced the threat on Tuesday.
A nuclear test "would pose an unacceptable threat to peace and stability in Asia and the world," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, who was traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Middle East.
"A provocative action of this nature would only further isolate the North Korean regime and deny the people of the North the benefits they so rightly deserve," McCormack said.
South Korea "has begun discussions with related countries," the country's presidential office said in a statement. Yoon Tae-young, a presidential spokesman, said the increased security level would mean "intensifying, among other things, the monitoring system to detect signs of North Korea's nuclear testing."
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said he was urging Security Council members to consult with their capitals on the next steps.
"I think it's important that if we embark on something here that we do it seriously and not simply issue statements for the sake of issuing statements," he told reporters before the council met for closed discussions.
Pyongyang has said it has nuclear weapons, but has not conducted any known test to prove its claim. South Korea's spy agency has said the North could test a nuclear bomb at any time.
"A nuclear test would be unforgivable for Japan and for the international community," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
His comments were echoed by the Japanese foreign minister, Taro Aso.
"Our response will be severe. This is more serious than the North's missile tests," Aso said.
Under a worst-case scenario, a North Korean nuclear test could prompt Japan to seek its own nuclear deterrent, raising tensions with China and South Korea, both of which suffered under Japanese colonial rule in the early 20th century.
China, North Korea's neighbor, ally and chief benefactor, had no immediate comment.
Russia's Foreign Ministry voiced strong concern Tuesday, saying North Korea's plans to conduct a nuclear test would "further exacerbate the military-political situation on the Korean Peninsula and around it." Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed doubt about the report.
"This is not the first time we have heard reports that North Korea announced there will soon be a test of a missile or a nuclear device or something," Lavrov said at a news conference. "In the vast majority of cases, these reports have not been substantiated."
In Finland, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said such a test "is always bad news."
Multilateral talks on North Korea's nuclear program have been stalled for almost a year, with Pyongyang boycotting the six-nation talks in protest over U.S. financial restrictions imposed for its alleged illegal activity, including money laundering and counterfeiting.
Efforts to bring the North back to negotiations have taken on added urgency after the communist nation test-fired seven missiles in July, including one believed to be capable of reaching the United States.
Reports have also suggested the North might conduct a nuclear test, citing suspicious activity at a possible underground test site. Many experts believe the North has enough radioactive material to build at least a half-dozen or more nuclear weapons.
McCormack, the State Department spokesman, said the United States and its partners in the six-nation talks "seek the denuclearization of North Korea through peaceful diplomatic means."
The North said Tuesday its ultimate goal is "to settle hostile relations between the DPRK and the U.S. and to remove the very source of all nuclear threats from the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity," accusing the U.S. of posing a nuclear threat in the region.
The North, however, said it will "never use nuclear weapons first and strictly prohibit any threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear transfer."
Charles Kartman, who was the lead negotiator with North Korea under the Clinton administration, said last week that North Korea had few other options than saber-rattling.
"If they feel they are not getting interaction with us, they tend to do things to get our attention. And the tools that they have are all bad ones," he said. "The missiles, the nuclear program, the military.
is it me or does NK threaten the US quarterly for the last, I don't know say 11years? where are the NK independent journalists?
Comments
If we didn't have any nuclear weapons, would they?
Why would they?
Why do we have nuclear weapons, if most countries - most of our "enemies" do not?
There is fear.
But the official statement by N. Korea is that their arms are for defense.
There is no trust.
If we don't trust them, then we will end up only fearing them.
If we won't trust them, that theirs are for defense, then how can they trust us that ours are for defense?
What reason have they to trust us?
i am not arguing anything here. i think we should get rid of our nuclear (read: nuke-u-lar) weapons if we are going to hold fast to our desire that other nations not possess them. if we have them and say they are for defense then other nations should be able to say the same...this should not be a do as i say, not as i do situation.
from my window to yours
Hmmmmm....trust N. Korea.....hmmmmmm
Anyway, N. Korea is nothing but a "puppet" (for lack of a better term) for China. Taiwan is a stick in thier side, NK is a stick in ours. So US and China are even on stick-in-sides.
Again, look at the history of why we have them, and still have them today. The "we should get rid of our nukes so others do too" is stupid. It will not happen. US gives up nukes, China or Russia say: Thanks, thats a nice thing to do. Good bye Taiwan.
(ya ya ya, US the first and only to use. We already covered that)
Well - we wouldn't give up our guns for nothing - what about if we give up our nukes, then Taiwan gets solidarity or something?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061005/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_nkorea_17;_ylt=Al.51Q_ptZgdYQgvO9vb43OCscEA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Diplomat says U.S. has warned N. Korea
By FOSTER KLUG, Associated Press WriterThu Oct 5, 1:33 PM ET
The United States warned North Korea anew on Thursday not to test a nuclear weapon. "It isn't in their interest and it isn't in anyone's interest," the top U.S. negotiator on the communist country's nuclear program said.
"We will not accept a nuclear state," Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told AP Television as he urged North Korea to resume negotiations that have involved six nations.
The United States has sent a message of "deep concern" to the North through diplomatic channels at the United Nations in New York, Hill said Wednesday. He did not elaborate on the message, except to say the North Koreans had received it and had not yet responded.
The North Korean announcement gave no date for any test, but U.S. intelligence agencies are keeping close watch over activity at possible test sites in the North.
"If they think that by exploding a weapon, that somehow we will come to terms with it, we won't," Hill told reporters after an appearance at the Johns Hopkins University's school of international studies. "If they think that firing off a weapon will somehow make them a part of some sort of nuclear club, they should think again."
The United States and North Korea have no diplomatic relations outside deadlocked six-nation nuclear talks and rarely communicate with each other so directly. That gives the U.S. message a seriousness that exceeds the public statements Washington has issued so far.
Hill would not discuss policy options, but he said senior U.S. diplomats, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, were in steady communication with their counterparts in Asia and Europe.
In the event of a nuclear test, Hill said, "We would have no choice but to act and act resolutely to make sure (North Korea) understood, and make sure every other country in the world understands, that this is a very bad mistake."
The U.S. message to North Korea came as Washington sought to marshal a unified diplomatic front against a possible nuclear test.
Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi agreed Wednesday that if North Korea should test, international sanctions were one of the tools both nations would expect the Security Council to consider, a State Department official said.
Meanwhile, the United States was paying close attention to movement at possible North Korean nuclear test sites, but authorities cautioned against reading too much into every movement during this heightened period of interest.
A U.S. intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the highly sensitive situation with North Korea, said the United States is now seeing the movement of people, materials and vehicles and other activity around one possible test site. But, the official said, it could be similar to activity seen a couple of months ago. Then, no test occurred.
The United States has spy satellites and other eavesdropping equipment aimed at North Korea, including ground-based seismic sensors.
At the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton discussed the matter with the Security Council, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said, and the United States would "hope to see some action there in the near future."
In Asia, North Korea's neighbors worked to forge a common front against Pyongyang's threat. Japan, China and South Korea announced a series of summit meetings during the next week to repair damaged ties and coordinate a strategy for dealing with North Korea.
While North Korean leader Kim Jong Il may decide to hold the test, it cannot be ruled out that Tuesday's threat was saber-rattling, an effort to force a change in stalled nuclear negotiations or some other motivating factor.
A U.S. government official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said Pyongyang could hold a nuclear test with little or no warning. The calculation, the official said, is political, rather than technical, because North Korea is believed to have such a device.
The North Korean government's public statement gave it an opportunity to gauge what world reaction might be; U.S. authorities are treating the statement with seriousness and do not see it as pure bluster, the official said.
Intelligence agencies also are considering dates for a possible test that might be of interest to Kim, the country's ruler.
Oct. 8, for example, marks the anniversary of Kim's ascension as head of the Workers' Party of Korea in 1997. It also would coincide with the likely approval of South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon to become secretary general of the United Nations.
Kofi Annan steps down from the post on Dec. 31, and the U.N. Security Council has set Oct. 9 to elect his successor.
www.headstonesband.com
U.K. Prime Minister Calls For Early Election
http://n.pr/2pNFSlW
http://www.defensenews.com/articles/us-carrier-still-thousands-of-miles-from-korea
Keep 'em guessing Donny.
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
where are the NK independent journalists?
3.29.13
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9960933/North-Korea-plan-to-attack-US-mainland-revealed-in-photographs.html
1.12.16
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN0UQ0CC20160112
8.23.16
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN10X09K
https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/08/07/how-to-learn-to-live-with-a-nuclear-north-korea/amp/