NK has shown that having a military force in SK is necessary, although thankfully military exercises seem to be enough for now.
And yet you can’t answer when I ask for an example of how the tiny, impoverished state of NK has “bullied” the US. In reality, it’s not about responding to bullying, it’s just about extending the scope and authority of your empire.
China is the only country that seems to be able to function in a peaceful way. Ideally, there would be more cooperation between China and the US, and ideally, the other countries would just continue to focus on peaceful cooperation. But instead they start wars.
Aww, peaceful smol bean America just wants to live in peace and harmony with everyone, but everyone else is just so aggressive.
Meanwhile, back in this reality:
Again, it’s just empire building. You think you’re somehow different from every other empire because you have all these justifications, but every empire has had similar justifications:
There was no corner of the known world where some interest was not alleged to be in danger or under actual attack. If the interests were not Roman, they were those of Rome’s allies; and if Rome had no allies, then allies would be invented. When it was utterly impossible to contrive such an interest—why, then it was the national honor that had been insulted. The fight was always invested with an aura of legality. Rome was always being attacked by evil-minded neighbors, always fighting for a breathing space. The whole world was pervaded by a host of enemies, and it was manifestly Rome’s duty to guard against their indubitably aggressive designs. They were enemies who only waited to fall on the Roman people.
Historian Joseph Schumpeter
Likewise, the British empire was said to have been built in “a fit of absentmindedness,” as if it kept acquiring territory accidentally through “keeping the peace” around the world.
You are no different, and history will remember your empire no differently than those of the past.
They attacked South Korea. There was a whole war about it. Technically the war still hasn’t ended. For some reason, people don’t seem to forget when you try to conquer them.
And that’s why the US has allies, because they helped prevent the conquest of SK. That’s why the US military is still there, to prevent the conquest of SK again.
They attacked South Korea. There was a whole war about it.
Yeah, real imminent threat right there. I mean, what if the Soviets give them aid again? Will President Eisenhower be able to handle it?
Did you just wake up from a 70 year coma? That’s the most relevant example you can come up with for the claim that Kim Jong Un, who hadn’t even been born, is a “bully” who “can’t be reasoned with” and “keeps starting wars?”
For some reason, people don’t seem to forget when you try to conquer them.
Yeah, and they don’t forget when you drop chemical weapons and murder 5 million people, primarily civilians, either. You sure that’s a talking point you want to use?
And they continue to maintain one of the largest militaries in the world, threaten invasion several times per year, and routinely send commando squads over the border, who often indiscriminately kill people.
Turns out that type of shit, in addition to total invasion in the past, makes your neighbors kind of touchy.
“One of the largest militaries in the world?” Are you actually for real right now?
The US spends more on the military than the next 9 countries combined! Obviously, anyone sane who’s in the US’s crosshairs is going to desperately try to muster whatever military strength they possibly can, for fear of invasion! Which the US has done, not only generations ago before any of us were born, but with a full scale invasion and decades-long occupation in living memory, ending only a few years ago! Before going straight into attacking Iran, with no provocation!
Jesus Christ, you imperialists are completely nuts! What is it about militaristic, authoritarian empires that makes you completely abandon any sort of reasoning or common sense, and start acting like a tiny hermit country halfway across the world that hasn’t been in a conflict for 70 years is somehow a threat to the most powerful and militaristic country on earth? It’s completely ridiculous.
Fucking, Rome had more plausible arguments for “defending itself” when they conquered Gaul!
You just keep licking the boot of the US government and accepting every bullshit justification it gives as it expands to every corner of the world, until it collapses on itself from the overextension, until the fascists take advantage of the decline and seize power at home, and when we’re both being matched into the gas chambers, I’ll ask you again whether fucking North Korea was really the threat we needed to be worrying about.
Well, yeah. In terms of numbers. 30% of the population is military. Of course spending isn’t gonna count, North Korea is poor as shit. They don’t have the money for nice things, they just have bodies (in various forms of starvation).
And sure, they can justify it with a fear of invasion. SK also has a justified fear of invasion. Looks like it’s gonna be a pissing match, we’ll see who’s got the bigger dick. Militarily speaking.
Yeah, no shit! You realize that’s a point against you right? I’m the one arguing that North Korea isn’t a real credible threat. That’s exactly why they have to try to make up the difference in manpower! Even South Korea, on it’s own outspends the north.
Did you get distracted by the blood rushing to your dick, thinking about how your empire has a greater capacity for violence, and you lost track of what the conversation was about?
Meanwhile, as all our money is poured into that idiotic nonsense so that people can get their rocks off and so that billionaires can profit off it, roads, infrastructure, healthcare, education, etc decay more and more each year, causing actually real suffering and danger to people’s lives. But who cares? Building hospitals doesn’t let you live out a juvenile power fantasy like setting off bombs and rockets does.
Now the question becomes: is NK going to continue to play a losing hand, or are they gonna do what China did and figure out what they can do to realistically counter US dominance?
Based on the last 70 years, NK appears to be set on continuing to play a losing hand, hoping that one day the US backs down and they’re able to restart the Korean war.
They could pretty easily stop sending 80% of their resources to the military and start improving things for their people. But I don’t think Kim Jong Un wants to do that. Nor do I think the current NK government would be able to survive demilitarization. Not from external threats, mind you. I don’t think their society is gonna put up with Kim very long when there are ways to feed yourself outside the army.
It’s not at all clear that North Korea would be allowed to follow the same path that China did. However, the point is completely irrelevant to the discussion. Again, we are not evaluating the North Korean government or their domestic policy, we are evaluating whether they pose a credible military threat, both in terms of their aims and their capabilities, and the answer to that is a resounding “No,” by your own admission.
In any case it’s incredibly hypocritical to lecture another country about their military spending while the US is spending more than the next 9 countries combined. You can’t pretend that you have some principled commitment towards deescalation if you’re just focused on getting weaker countries to put down their arms so that powerful countries can dominate them. That is just imperialism, plain in simple. You might as well be a British colonizer calling for Zulus to not be so militaristic and to put down their bows and arrows, as they slaughtered them with machine guns.
And yet you can’t answer when I ask for an example of how the tiny, impoverished state of NK has “bullied” the US. In reality, it’s not about responding to bullying, it’s just about extending the scope and authority of your empire.
Aww, peaceful smol bean America just wants to live in peace and harmony with everyone, but everyone else is just so aggressive.
Meanwhile, back in this reality:
Again, it’s just empire building. You think you’re somehow different from every other empire because you have all these justifications, but every empire has had similar justifications:
Likewise, the British empire was said to have been built in “a fit of absentmindedness,” as if it kept acquiring territory accidentally through “keeping the peace” around the world.
You are no different, and history will remember your empire no differently than those of the past.
They attacked South Korea. There was a whole war about it. Technically the war still hasn’t ended. For some reason, people don’t seem to forget when you try to conquer them.
And that’s why the US has allies, because they helped prevent the conquest of SK. That’s why the US military is still there, to prevent the conquest of SK again.
Yeah, real imminent threat right there. I mean, what if the Soviets give them aid again? Will President Eisenhower be able to handle it?
Did you just wake up from a 70 year coma? That’s the most relevant example you can come up with for the claim that Kim Jong Un, who hadn’t even been born, is a “bully” who “can’t be reasoned with” and “keeps starting wars?”
Yeah, and they don’t forget when you drop chemical weapons and murder 5 million people, primarily civilians, either. You sure that’s a talking point you want to use?
And they continue to maintain one of the largest militaries in the world, threaten invasion several times per year, and routinely send commando squads over the border, who often indiscriminately kill people.
Turns out that type of shit, in addition to total invasion in the past, makes your neighbors kind of touchy.
“One of the largest militaries in the world?” Are you actually for real right now?
The US spends more on the military than the next 9 countries combined! Obviously, anyone sane who’s in the US’s crosshairs is going to desperately try to muster whatever military strength they possibly can, for fear of invasion! Which the US has done, not only generations ago before any of us were born, but with a full scale invasion and decades-long occupation in living memory, ending only a few years ago! Before going straight into attacking Iran, with no provocation!
Jesus Christ, you imperialists are completely nuts! What is it about militaristic, authoritarian empires that makes you completely abandon any sort of reasoning or common sense, and start acting like a tiny hermit country halfway across the world that hasn’t been in a conflict for 70 years is somehow a threat to the most powerful and militaristic country on earth? It’s completely ridiculous.
Fucking, Rome had more plausible arguments for “defending itself” when they conquered Gaul!
You just keep licking the boot of the US government and accepting every bullshit justification it gives as it expands to every corner of the world, until it collapses on itself from the overextension, until the fascists take advantage of the decline and seize power at home, and when we’re both being matched into the gas chambers, I’ll ask you again whether fucking North Korea was really the threat we needed to be worrying about.
Well, yeah. In terms of numbers. 30% of the population is military. Of course spending isn’t gonna count, North Korea is poor as shit. They don’t have the money for nice things, they just have bodies (in various forms of starvation).
And sure, they can justify it with a fear of invasion. SK also has a justified fear of invasion. Looks like it’s gonna be a pissing match, we’ll see who’s got the bigger dick. Militarily speaking.
My money is not on NK.
Yeah, no shit! You realize that’s a point against you right? I’m the one arguing that North Korea isn’t a real credible threat. That’s exactly why they have to try to make up the difference in manpower! Even South Korea, on it’s own outspends the north.
Did you get distracted by the blood rushing to your dick, thinking about how your empire has a greater capacity for violence, and you lost track of what the conversation was about?
Meanwhile, as all our money is poured into that idiotic nonsense so that people can get their rocks off and so that billionaires can profit off it, roads, infrastructure, healthcare, education, etc decay more and more each year, causing actually real suffering and danger to people’s lives. But who cares? Building hospitals doesn’t let you live out a juvenile power fantasy like setting off bombs and rockets does.
Yep.
Now the question becomes: is NK going to continue to play a losing hand, or are they gonna do what China did and figure out what they can do to realistically counter US dominance?
Based on the last 70 years, NK appears to be set on continuing to play a losing hand, hoping that one day the US backs down and they’re able to restart the Korean war.
They could pretty easily stop sending 80% of their resources to the military and start improving things for their people. But I don’t think Kim Jong Un wants to do that. Nor do I think the current NK government would be able to survive demilitarization. Not from external threats, mind you. I don’t think their society is gonna put up with Kim very long when there are ways to feed yourself outside the army.
It’s not at all clear that North Korea would be allowed to follow the same path that China did. However, the point is completely irrelevant to the discussion. Again, we are not evaluating the North Korean government or their domestic policy, we are evaluating whether they pose a credible military threat, both in terms of their aims and their capabilities, and the answer to that is a resounding “No,” by your own admission.
In any case it’s incredibly hypocritical to lecture another country about their military spending while the US is spending more than the next 9 countries combined. You can’t pretend that you have some principled commitment towards deescalation if you’re just focused on getting weaker countries to put down their arms so that powerful countries can dominate them. That is just imperialism, plain in simple. You might as well be a British colonizer calling for Zulus to not be so militaristic and to put down their bows and arrows, as they slaughtered them with machine guns.