By doing nothing at the moment China may be just raising stakes in future talks with US.
Look at the trajectories: all of them (starting from NK) that end in continental US go over the Chinese territory. So, when the ability of the fat kid to through N-stuff over the Pacific is confirmed, China may invite US to chat in somewhat way like this:
We can buy the latest and greatest S-400 (or 500) from Russia and deploy them along the border. They can easily put down NK ICBMs even at the active (thrust) phase. Would you like us to do so? What would you give us in return (trade, shut up about islands in thee South sea, etc)? Not agree - OK you will have to clean up Alaska or/and Canada from debris at your own (if you are sure GBI can do their job 100%, which of course no one knows).

Never let a crisis go to waste.

I'm sure the Chinese would fully respect Russia's intellectual property rights in this regard. No Peking inside!

Has anyone pointed out that it's nigh on impossible for the Norks to test their long-range missiles without them flying over someone? Just saying..

Some interesting points for me to think about, thank you.

Very amusing :ok:

And the guarantee would only last a year.

dead pan,


Yes, they have to fly over somebody (China, Russia, Japan or SK). But the latest test (flying over Hokkaido) showed that Japanese skies are free. Just one more resolution from UN which they obviously consider a peanut gallery. I would not be surprised that the same very corridor would be later used to "play brackets" with Hawaii (nearly the same launch azimuth).

Pine Gap here... he's just squirted off another missile.
"The Security Council utterly condemns and calls for..."
So - bets on how long before Japan nukes up...

Do these damned sanctions actually do any good?

Or do they simple cause a retrenchment and independent spirit of defiance?

A rather intelligent documentary series a decade ago gave a rather insightful look into the psychology of such matters, in three parts.

Pretty profound series of films Caz.
Thanks for posting.

Has no-one whispered the principles of MAD in to Kim Jong-un's shell-like - or has he just failed to grasp them?

As a bit of “what-aboutery”, here’s an alternative possible hypothesis;

Kim has distanced himself and DPRK from the control of China, this for the Chinese is less that acceptable in their back yard as it reduces their comfort about both the stability of the peninsula and the certainty of a buffer from the "forces of democracy" in South Korea..

Either by accident or design, the west is now pushing China to reign in NK.

This presents China with an opportunity.

While the North Korean’s are looking south and east, China invades from the north and west … toppling the Kim dynasty and replacing it with a more agreeable regime. On the way out, in order to assure future compliance, the PLA establish a base or two including a naval presence on the Korean east coast, along the Sea of Japan, something China currently lacks.

What does China gain? i) A chance to test its military capability, ii) removes a burdensome nuisance on its southern flank, iii) presents itself as helping the rest of the world, iv) believes it has stabilised the DPRK (it could even go as far as taking steps to improve the lot of the average citizen) and v) gains a strategic base or two along the way.

Not quite the Win-Win the West might have hoped for, but still, a problem removed.

JAS

Interesting perspactive, Just a spotter.

Although ... would China want to become an overt aggressor, despite your reasonable outline, when it's World trade is so important?

Perhaps George W Bush had the right answer to threats from Pakistan - 'I'll send your whole country back to the Middle Ages.'

For N. Korea - One more step and nuke them!!

Forgive my naivety, being a civvie, but why can't we (or the Americans, or even the Russians if they want to) use a covert special forces team to assassinate the North Korean leader? Or use satellites, spies, etc to pinpoint his location and take him out with a well aimed precision strike?

Or am I in the realms of fantasy there? But if I am, why? Surely with our (the 'West') resources and technology, it must be possible to do something like that, especially as he doesn't seem to hide himself in caves or underground like terrorist leaders.

I would like to see the US Navy engage and destroy a missile once it had cleared Japanese or South Korean territory - but not reveal their action. The North Koreans can't have radar coverage so far from land so they could think their missile was at fault. The question this raises is - what would they do next? Step up launches or not?