Never again have relations between the world's superpowers been so tense since the end of the cold war decades ago, or the stakes been so high. Just as time passed since then bringing changes in society, it also brought great changes to the modern battlefield mankind, sadly, still settles its differences in. Considering the New threats by North Korea, their continuous nuclear testing and Based on the U.S recent involvement and interventions both In Iraq, Afghanistan and the civil unrest in certain regions of the Middle East, along with interventions in the past such as those in Rwanda, Somalia and Sierra Leone, I’d like to ask you the following: how would the U.S fare in an armed conflict against North Korea? How would it start? How would that affect U.S Economy after being through two long wars of attrition? Where such conflict would put the U.S in the middle east? How would the world react? Whom would side with whom and why, what sort of alliances would be formed ? And finally, what would the aftermath be like? Now, I’d like to remind everybody that America isn't the only country in this continent, its actions and policies do not necessarily represent those of the countries below its border line, therefore please no "MURICA" comments unless you have valid and concrete evidence to back up your response. “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” ― Plato
Let me answer those questions one by one with all the knowledge I've gathered in the immense amount of research I have down with this(seriously, been looking at this stuff for over a year) 1: The United States and her Allies(In this case mainly South Korea) would utterly annihilate North Korea, the reason being is that North Korea is a poor, backwards, and malnourished country. Its soldiers subsist on an about 700-800 calorie per day ration plan while the US supplies its soldiers with around 3,000. In essence, it would look a lot like when Hitler invaded France, only it would be even faster before surrender. Even if the North got off a nuke or two before its facilities were destroyed, those missles would more than likely (like 95-99% likely) be shot down before any damage is done. To put it simply, North Korea does not stand a chance against the US in an armed conflict, they are just trying to get attention. 2: More than likely, any war between North Korea and South Korea/US would start with either some mistake on either side, or a similar event to what happened a few years back when North Korea sank a South Korean ship killing 49 sailors and bombarded an island, the reason why war didn't happen then was because there was a lot more lenient government in Seoul then, now a much more stern government is in place and would likely respond to such another event with swift and crushing force. 3: Almost none, the war would be over before any real effects could be felt. What would essentially happen to put it in perspective is you go to sleep at night hearing about a new war with North Korea, and either the next night or the following morning it's over. 4: Same position it is now 5: More than likely applaud us, no one likes North Korea any more, not even China, only reason China 'supports' North Korea is because if they didn't, it would likely fall apart creating a massive refugee crisis. China likes for things to be stable, instability is not good for China and her economy. 6: Nothing, no one would care 7: A reunited Korea, removal of the last true communistic state in the world, and also a thorn being removed from everyone's side. Any further questions? - - Auto Merge - - Oh, if you want to know just how much of an advantage the US military has over any nation in the world besides itself, here you go: Most powerful air force in the world: USAF, 2nd most, US Navy; More defense spending than the next top 43 nations COMBINED; Military bases everywhere gives us basically a free pass to anywhere in the world within hours; Most advanced, best trained army the world has literally ever seen(Its been shown that the only nation to have a higher military discipline was that of Rome, and even then its close); Our navy has vastly superior numbers and tech than any other nation, in fact, we control I believe 4 aircraft carrier fleets, each with enough air power to be in the top ten most powerful air forces in the world, with France having the next most at 1. I literally could go on and on, but I think y'all get the idea. There is a reason why the United States is the one and only superpower in the world, and the US combined with our allies make us virtually indomitable in any conflict.
I have to agree with snow. The whole western and eastern world such as Japan and south Korea would probably join sides with America. China and maybe Russia would sort of be on the fence alhough china would probably not intervene due to trade and economy. If NK fired nukes then the us and it's allies would retaliate after shooting down the missiles. So it will probably end up as north korea being a barren nuclear wasteland or a united Korea led by the south Korean government with the north Korean government either committing suicide to escape conviction or being caught and sentenced. So the unified Korea would probably end up similar to SK now with Internet becoming free there and MMO's and Starcraft being enjoyed by both north and south Koreans.
I agree with Snow as well. North Korea is horribly delusional if they think they can fight America. They might have one or two long-range nukes, but we'd intercept them before they cause any damage. Meanwhile, we have thousands of nukes we that can hit any target with a margin of error of centimeters. We won't use nukes, however, since that would be unnecessary. We would use ground troops, drones, etc. Like Snow says, our troops are well-fed as well as better trained (I think), more experienced, and much better equipped. I saw a news report about NK having 6 hovercrafts, and the picture ended up being fake. The truth is, NK has spent so long spouting its propaganda that I wouldn't be surprised if the military leaders believe it themselves. This would obviously cause major problems coming up with viable military strategies due to constantly overestimating their own forces, and vastly underestimating ours. The first Korean War was a stalemate only because China was lending its full assistance to North Korea. This time, I think China will stay out of it, and North Korea will be alone in their fight. Not good odds for them. Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2
Technically the first Korean conflict never ended at all. There was no peace treaty it was simply a cease fire/armistice which now North Korea has decided to break from. China is going to stay out of this fight as they don't want to deteriorate relations with other nations any more. I read in an article that the reason why North Korea is even doing all this is to bring the other nations to the table to talk and seeing that they have failed in the past they are simply saying all of this to get attention mainly. And the United states isn't really the only nation that's going to be taking care of this mess, but the South Korean's as our force is more of a border security force of troops sent to South Korea to train the South Korean's who have become very good friends with the US and other nations as well. And if you want to talk about the use of nukes, please talk to me on Skype as people really don't seem to get it.
Here's my opinon. A country can sustain a war through its economy. North Korea's economy wouldn't be able to sustain a prolonged conflict with the United States, whose military budget absolutely dwarfs North Korea's, despite their large standing army. However, the war would mostly be fought by the South Korean army, with the United States closely backing them up to ensure their advantage at every turn. The situation on the Korean peninsula is pretty tense, although North Korea's intention to actually start a war is questionable at best. The war would likely start with a South Korean retaliation to a small military "poke" from the North. Kim Jong-Un may be facing pressure right now to back up all of the talk he's been laying down lately, but it would be quite foolish, as the situation he's created is getting pretty delicate, and invoking an armed conflict would not end well in the long run for his regime. How it would affect the U.S. economy depends on a lot of factors. War can be good for an economy, or it can hurt it. If the U.S. were to get involved in a conflict with North Korea, South Korea's economy would be hit the hardest, because Seoul would likely take massive damage from North Korean artillery. North Korea's army wouldn't be able to stand up against the raw technological superiority of the U.S. and its allies. However, in a country as fanatical and indoctrinated as North Korea, an insurgency of loyalists to the Kim dynasty would be likely. It's difficult to tell if that would be as ugly as the recent war we fought, and how it would affect the U.S. economy. I don't think the conflict would have much influence on the U.S.' position in the Middle East. The world at large would likely be facepalming at such a conflict. As we know who would likely side with the U.S., the main issue in alliances is China's involvement. It's unlikely that China would get involved militarily to defend North Korea, because their economy is far too dependent on the U.S.', and vice versa. The most they'd do is provide foreign aid. Russia also wouldn't want to enter the conflict. North Korea would probably have to fend for itself. The aftermath would result in a shell-shocked South Korea and a decimated North Korea. The U.S. would then have to move in to immediately secure their nuclear weapons and technology to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hand. Worldwide efforts would contribute to the rebuilding of the Korean peninsula, hopefully merging what was North Korea with South Korea and creating.. well, Korea. Anyhow, that's what I think of this whole mess.
China already stated that it wouldn't get involved at all as they are in a pretty picky spot. The funny thing is though that none of these threats can be entirely sure, more like educated guesses since we don't have "boots on ground" to take actual photos of what North Korea has in terms in military strength. North Korea has been making all the recent threats, thus a joint war with South Korea and the US would mean that we would be helping a nation not sticking our noses where they don't belong....again.
Oh, one more thing, the claim in the OP that" relations between the world's super powers have not been so tense since the Cold War" is simply and utterly false. Though while the media likes to make it look like we all hate each other, it simply is not true. Actual world politics is much more complex and far more than it being 'us vs them' also, although China may seem like a super power, it is not.
Forgot something and when I tried to edit it wouldn't edit. North Korea has sent raiding teams across the DMZ multiple times and some have been captured and there have been a few deaths. Still none of these "raids" have resulted in a conflict. These have been going on for years even before their current leader(I don't spell names well unless I have a visual aid >>)
Kim Jong Un - An young, inexperienced leader with too much power for his own good. Kim Jong Il was bats*** crazy, but he still never went this far. Kim and the North Korean military are proving just how delusional they are. If they send any kind of attack America's way, it will only end in tears for the isolated nation. The term 'barren wasteland' comes to mind when I think of the consequences they face for launching an attack. It will be interesting to see how this develops, they have been all bark and no bite so far but I wouldn't be surprised to see it stay that way.
Recently, in an effort to deter such attacks, South Korea has vowed strong retaliation to any North Korean military action against it. They've stepped up their own rhetoric toward the north considerably more than they have previously, and South Korea is naturally more credible than Kim Jung-Un Land. I actually believe that South Korea will follow through with their actions if North Korea tries anything.
1. The United States would, without a doubt, utterly wipe North Korea off the face of the earth. If North Korea managed to launch an ICMB or any sort of nuclear missile towards the United States, it will be shot down possibly minutes or possibly seconds after launch and that NK missiles can’t make it to the Western Coast in the first place. Then you have to consider the fact that the missiles can’t launch if their facilities are destroyed in the first place. The United States (As Snow had said before) has the most powerful air force, the us navy by themselves are extremely powerful, some of the most disciplined soldiers with the added bonus of numbers would add with the army and an extraordinary range of technological wonders that’s put many countries to shame. Not to mention that the United States basically has friends everywhere in the forms of countries such as Australia, England and so forth. 2. It would either be that North Korea actually invades or something such as the Yeonpyeong bombardment. Eventually, South Korea and basically the rest of the world would get sick of North Korea being an attention w***e and wait until they make the first move. 3. Possibly in the same situation as it is now. 4. Some people might like the idea of getting rid of such a nation who only preaches hate and war. Others would hate the idea and be against it of course. Communism might sound brilliant in theory but is always executed awfully and never will be done right. North Korea is weak and backward, much like the Russian Empire was under the leadership of Tsar Nicholas II from 1894-1917. If war were to break out right now, the war would last possibly a day or a week. The situation being like the Russian Revolution except that the Tsar’s would be represented as a country and the revolutionaries as the rest of the world. 5. For obvious reasons and our close relationship to America and various other countries such as China, Australia would side with them to take down NK in a zerg rush along with our SAS or even the Australian military if they were deployed.I could see three possibilities 1. North Korea is swiftly defeated and the leadership of Kim jong un and communism is ended. Korea reunites and everyone around the world celebrates, while Kim jong un is either abdicated or executed. And the world lived happily ever after..... 2. The war between North and South might take longer than expected and both sides are damaged heavily. North Korea makes its own weapons but lacks the manpower to use most of them. 3. North Korea manages to launch as missile at Seoul or any major South Korean city. As WMD’s are considered a one way ticket for a suicide attack, North Korea will be wiped off the face of the earth as nukes from the US and China if they accept will bombard everywhere. Same ending scenario as 1 If North Korea has the b***s to actually attack South or US, then their existence as a nation will be numbered.
Kim-Jong Un would have to be crazy to attack the United States. That is an undeniable fact. The problem is, he may very well BE crazy. Mental illnesses are an inherited genetic trait. Kim-Jong Un's father was insane, as was his grandfather. It is not unreasonable to assume that the apple didn't fall far from the tree.
I think the problem is that Kim Jong Un only cares about one thing. Either the world becomes a glorious global empire for North Korea, or it is destroyed. Him with it. He doesn't care about the possible negative consequences of his actions, he truly believes North Korea has the best military on the planet, and can take on everyone. Nothing will be accomplished except the destruction of US bases and possibly parts of Alaska, but he doesn't believe that. I think he will cause a lot of damage before North Korea falls. He won't win, but he'll make a big bang.
In my opinion, Kim Jong Un wants what he knows he can't have. Therefore, he makes certain that all the world knows about his missile tests and war propaganda. He wants recognition, not control. He's a little lord dissatisfied with his fiefdom, but who cannot even within the realms of his own imagination conceive the taking of the world by force. I believe Kim Jong Un takes comfort from the fact that the United States cannot nuke his entire country to ash without heavy provocation; contrary to popular belief, some of our politicians do have consciences. Still, his political actions should be taken seriously. I'm more worried about what he might do to his citizens that to us. Also, he used the theme from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in his war propaganda commercial. The guy is clearly living in his own world.
North Korea likes to call the entire Korean peninsula 'Joseon'. South Korea likes to call it 'Hangeuk'. All in all, the final battle revolves around those fatal Korean words. It is not a matter of a Starcraft 2 match, nor is it one of arms. It is all to do with whomever's dialect comes out on top. Will it be the glorious DRPK's McCune transliteration with circumflexes and ambiguous letters, or will the ROK finally supersede its brother and win the war of words?
