The North Korea Conundrum: A Taste of Armageddon (Berman)

[corbe]

The North Korea Conundrum: A Taste of Armageddon

By Steve Berman  |  July 7, 2017, 04:53pm  |  @stevengberman

Last night I watched an episode of Star Trek called “A Taste of Armageddon” (Season 1, Ep. 23). In it, two planets have been at war for 500 years, but they no longer send weapons to destroy each others’ cities. Instead, a linked computer system models the attacks and determines casualties. These casualties then have 24 hours to report to a “disintegrator” to be killed. It’s clean, neat war, without the carnage.

This episode reminded me of our conundrum with North Korea. The two Koreas have been at war for 23,356 days since the Armistice was signed on July 27, 1953–just a few weeks shy of 64 years. And while nobody reports to a death chamber, there have been casualties along the way, which continue to this day.

In Star Trek, Kirk destroys the computers that simulate war and calculate casualties. This, in the treaty which preserves the state of war between the two planets, would result in “automatic escalation” to real weapons. In doing this, he forces the two sides to negotiate in order to avoid Armageddon.

If you read the rhetoric about North Korea and America’s options, this sounds mighty familiar. Any attack, no matter how surgical, seems to bring the argument that the North will respond with Armageddon. Eleven million residents of Seoul will die, we will face “catastrophic” war (as Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has repeatedly said).

Charles Krauthammer wrote “we have kicked the North Korean can down the road. We are now out of road.” Examining the evidence, he concluded that we must accept a nuclear, ICBM-armed North Korea. We must accept them the same way we accepted a nuclear-armed China, or a nuclear-armed Russia.

North Korea is within China’s sphere of influence, like Mexico is within America’s. Just like America wouldn’t want Chinese troops, missiles and nuclear launchers in Mexico, to China, having American troops, or a close American ally sitting on its border is a non-starter. So China is caught between a rock and Kim Jong Un’s nuclear ambitions.

<..snip..>

http://theresurgent.com/the-north-korea-conundrum-a-taste-of-armageddon/

[corbe]

   From the Article:

America must deal with North Korea, and I’m afraid our only option is to risk all-out war to do it. Obviously, Trump won’t telegraph his intentions, so we won’t see an announcement. But the north is watching very closely. I believe if Trump, Mattis and Secretary of State Tillerson have come to the same conclusions I (and others) have, a strike is imminent.

   Another Option, (found on the net somewhere), I always thought there was a Church Amendment or something

Under domestic law, technically the United States is generally not allowed to pursue assassination. Now this is where we begin to get murky. The prohibitions on assassinations are all Executive Orders (EO 11905, signed by Gerald Ford in '76, EO 12036 signed by Carter in '78, and EO 12333 signed by Reagan in '81) or Department of Defense directives meaning that they can either be waived at any time, for any reason; or the President can just issue a new executive order that essentially says ignore the old one and do this instead.

[Fishrrman]

corbe suggested:
"Another Option, (found on the net somewhere), I always thought there was a Church Amendment or something"

It would be very difficult (next to impossible) for the Americans to get "close enough" to fat boy Kim to do the deed.

It would be a job much easier for the Chinese.

The $64 question:
What might the United States offer to China, to persuade them to "do the deed" ??

[TomSea]

If I try to look at this as objectively as possible, just my opinion, I think Japan should be on edge more than anyone. That missiles crashed into the sea near Japanese waters; additionally, they are old foes of North Korea or maybe Korea in general but I am no expert.

[Restored]

Remind the Chinese that Japan and South Korea would practically disarm if it wasn't for the Norks. Because of North Korea, Japan is spending more on their Navy and their SAM systems.