Vocal Voices

North Korea, that is.

Its latest nuclear test is said to be about 20 kilotonnes, or more. That is bigger than the American bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It comes hot on the heels of what were described by the international community as "successful" ballistic missile tests over the past few weeks. Anxiety is rising over what to do.

China does not want the North to collapse, and for a couple of reasons. Firstly it does not want a unified Korean peninsula in the hands of the West on its border. It will likely do anything to prevent that, including invading the North, and that could mean war. Secondly it fears a wave of refugees of unknown allegiance.

The South (and allies) cannot invade the North, even though they are technically still at war. That would lead to Chines troops intervening in a land war, at least, between it and the West, with Russia probably aiding the Chinese.

It is all a cat and mouse game and the mouse looks to have the upper hand at the moment.

Are they exploding these bombs in North Korea or somewhere else WM?

North Korea is like something out of an Orwellian style horror movie.

Of course if the nutter actually uses the Nuclear weapons everyone can feel free to turn the North into a radioactive car park, effectively solving both problems for China....

Pity about the millions of dead but...

What a mess.

South Korea is now ramping up the tension by saying that Pyongyang could be annihilated and wiped off the map should the North ever make an attempt to even test fire a missile with a nuclear device installed.

That rather unnecessary and public threat could actually push Kim to work harder to achieve his dream of nuclear armed ballistic missiles. He will be able to use it to propagandise his people in the belief that such things are now absolutely imperative for their security.

Well there is a certain implication there that they would have to test fire and explode a nuclear warhead on top of a missile fired outside of their own national borders. Something which would be a level of aggression never seen outside of a war and requiring global action to stop.

Even China would find it hard to support that one.

But, as you say, it could be seen as unnecessary provocation. Then again it is the logical progression for Kim Jong unstable... We've seen this before and it's always better to nip it in the bud. But how do you stop a megalomaniac who was brought up to act that way? He only sees appeasement as inability to act. Not unwillingness to bring on the consequences.

There is no way this can end well. NATO and the USSR? They were at least led by rational people who recognised the consequences of even limited nuclear action. NK? Led by a person who lives in a fantasy land bordered by great fear and absolute power. One of the worst possible combinations.