Cripes - Not long until the balloon goes up!

[Platypus]

The US and China both have too much to lose in a war: China's exports to the US and Europe would dry up, thereby ruining their economy. They've come too far to let that happen.

The last thing the US needs right now is another war: they need to focus on their recovering economy, and more of their boys dying in some far-flung land would be about as popular as anal syphilis.

They'll talk it out, and will knock SK and NK's heads together and tell them to stop being to f'king stupid.

<fingers crossed for common sense smiley>

[configman]

Aye.



Nope; in this case China is 'mates' with NK, but when it comes to 'putting up' they will say, 'steady on now do be a prat'.

China - NK might be a mate but is more of an most of the time.

China are being tactical - if war breaks out it is on China's border and potentially millions of refugee's will spill across it's borders and they don't want that. In the last Korean war the stupid yanks wanted to continue into China after pushing all the way through NK - that was when China got involved and pushed the yanks/brits/SK all the way back. Notice how China did not get involved until it's own sovereignty was threatened. If war breaks out it is unlikely this time that a stupid yank commander will continue across the border into China.

To many people expect China to publicly rebuke NK - that is not the Chinese way. Behind the scenes it is a totally different issue.

[EternalOptimist]

It will be interesting to see how Japan react to the raising of tensions in the region. If they do reenter the world stage as a major player, they could make someone a very powerful ally, even without nukes.
The Chinese and the Koreans fear the japs, and with good reason.

If the NK can launch a suprise attack, they could overrun SK in days, aircraft will not stop that happening. If the SK mobilise and get a few days to prepare, the NK will hit a brick wall and will get hammered.

it should all be over by Christmas

[shaunbhoy]

it should all be over by Christmas

Have we heard that somewhere before?

[CheeseSlice]

Countdown to Oblivion: North Korea artillery strike - the Start of the First Nuclear War?

I know the Daily Wail seem to make a lot of stuff up, but this time they've got a fiction writer (Tom Cain) to make up the news for them.

Quite a chilling and sobering read.

[VectraMan]

Countdown to Oblivion: North Korea artillery strike - the Start of the First Nuclear War?

I know the Daily Wail seem to make a lot of stuff up, but this time they've got a fiction writer (Tom Cain) to make up the news for them.

Quite a chilling and sobering read.

Eeek!

Though North Korea invading the South by tunnel seems a little far fetched.

[OwlHoot]

Eeek!

Though North Korea invading the South by tunnel seems a little far fetched.

Far fetched? They've been burrowing away like moles under the DMZ at the border for the last thirty years.

Skim through that "planeman" report I referenced and you'll see - I think the tunnels are mentioned near the end.

(I think planeman concluded that most if not all the tunnels have been detected though, but who knows? )

[VectraMan]

Far fetched? They've been burrowing away like moles under the DMZ at the border for the last thirty years.

No doubt, but surely a tunnel big enough to get 100s of tanks and 10,000s of men through isn't going to go unnoticed, and once noticed it's going to be pretty easy for a single American bomber with a single bomb to take out the tunnel entrance and stop the invasion dead in its tracks.

It's hard to believe that anything of that scale happens in secret these days. But I may be wrong.

[EternalOptimist]

No doubt, but surely a tunnel big enough to get 100s of tanks and 10,000s of men through isn't going to go unnoticed, and once noticed it's going to be pretty easy for a single American bomber with a single bomb to take out the tunnel entrance and stop the invasion dead in its tracks.

It's hard to believe that anything of that scale happens in secret these days. But I may be wrong.

You are not wrong. Its fantasyland to suggest that large units could use tunnels in this way. They may be useful to infiltrate small parties, like the sewer systems in WWII city warfare, but that is only ever going to be of any use in a static type situation.
The Germans used infiltration units quite extensively, but dressed commandos in enemy uniforms, and drove captured vehicles. They never had the need to burrow.

[SupremeSpod]

You are not wrong. Its fantasyland to suggest that large units could use tunnels in this way. They may be useful to infiltrate small parties, like the sewer systems in WWII city warfare, but that is only ever going to be of any use in a static type situation.
The Germans used infiltration units quite extensively, but dressed commandos in enemy uniforms, and drove captured vehicles. They never had the need to burrow.

Unlike the "Great War"...