What happens if Trump nukes North Korea?

blackcard

Trump doesn't seem like a stable person to me. His presidency seems to be a laughing stock with his popularity at record lows. I think he may gamble on nuking North Korea so that he can appear to be strong and to deflect from his current difficulties. If he wants to attack North Korea, can anyone stop him? How does China Russia react?

jamesbere

He won't unless N Korea do it first, which at the moment is highly unlikely.

Air strikes at strategic targets are more likely

nullzero

Nuke the whales.

alchemist33

nullzero wrote: »

Nuke the whales.

Poor Kim Jong Il. Glorious leader now and still getting fat jokes.

Are Am Eye

If they hit NK it will be with conventional weapons.
Targeting missile installations, air fields, ports, command and control etc
simultaneously. That would be a stern warning.
I wouldn't see US taking unilateral action like that. China and Russia and maybe the EU involved if NK were becoming a real threat.

LordSutch

blackcard wrote: »

What happens if Trump nukes North Korea?

He can't and he wont.

Too much risk, too many if's and but's....

blackcard

jamesbere wrote: »

He won't unless N Korea do it first, which at the moment is highly unlikely.

Air strikes at strategic targets are more likely

So apart from implementing more sanctions and tweeting about China, he just waits for a madman in Korea to further develop ICBM' s?

bear1

Are Am Eye wrote: »

If they hit NK it will be with conventional weapons.
Targeting missile installations, air fields, ports, command and control etc
simultaneously. That would be a stern warning.
I wouldn't see US taking unilateral action like that. China and Russia and maybe the EU involved if NK were becoming a real threat.

The eu would do well to keep their noses out of it.
Trump can't simply fire off a nuke and I somehow doubt north Korea is that stupid to attack the us first as Russia and China would probably back the US.
At the same time though, the US should stop the yearly drills with the South and antagonizing the north in exchange for them stopping their nuclear ambitions.
Win win on both sides.

Victor

blackcard wrote: »

What happens if Trump nukes North Korea?

Unlikely.

It would show him to be a hypocrite (what's new) "I'm nuking you, because you can't have nuclear weapons".

If NK was nuked, expect them to retaliate, at least in kind. Congress would be very quick at deciding on whether they wanted to keep Trump or not.

Bob24

blackcard wrote: »

So apart from implementing more sanctions and tweeting about China, he just waits for a madman in Korea to further develop ICBM' s?

Between "just waits for a madman in Korea to further develop ICBM' s" and "nukes North Korea", there is quite a wide range of alternative options!

As mentioned by other posters, conventional military strikes are for exemple a pretty strong one.

Jimbob1977

Nuclear strikes would scatter radiation towards South Korea, Japan and China.

The obvious response should be conventional strikes on missile silos, military bases and government offices. And assume that North Korea will collapse like a headless chicken.

Korea is unfinished business for 60 years. Presidents have simply ignored the regime as it was no direct threat to the USA. Stalemate was adequate.

A functioning nuclear weapon has focused minds now. Can America afford to gamble that Kim is bluffing?

blackcard

Victor wrote: »

blackcard wrote: »

What happens if Trump nukes North Korea?

Unlikely.

It would show him to be a hypocrite (what's new) "I'm nuking you, because you can't have nuclear weapons".

If NK was nuked, expect them to retaliate, at least in kind. Congress would be very quick at deciding on whether they wanted to keep Trump or not.

I can't see Trump being worried about being called a hypocrite. It would appeal to his base to attack NK. I presume that they could remove the ability of NK to retaliate?

jamesbere

blackcard wrote: »

So apart from implementing more sanctions and tweeting about China, he just waits for a madman in Korea to further develop ICBM' s?

He's mad himself. Anyway it won't get that far. I think you'll find a combined force made up of a few nations to take down N Korea. The biggest concern is for S Korea who will get the full brunt of any retaliation

BorneTobyWilde

NK want the USA to make the first move so that Ping Pong Dim can say '' I told you so'' to his people.
The US know that NK is untouchable, that if they attacked it would play right into Ping Pong Dims hands, and he would attack the south in response.

testicles

This post has been deleted.

Bob24

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

A functioning nuclear weapon has focused minds now. Can America afford to gamble that Kim is bluffing?

To my knowledge, no-one believes they have the technology to produce a miniaturised bomb which can be carried by a missile. What they might have is some kind of artisanal and very large dirty bomb.

It is of course a first step towards getting the real thing and should be taken very seriously, but I don't think the threat of them launching a nuclear missile exists today.

Arghus

From what I understand of it everything is made infinitely more complex by the fact that the North can obliterate the Seoul Metropolitan Area - circa 25 million population - with artillery within minutes anytime it feels like it, regardless of whether anyone decides to chuck a nuclear bomb at it. So they've a hell of a lot more bargaining power than you might think.

BorneTobyWilde

NK seem reasonable though, it's still a very safe but a very controlled place. The US should send people in for direct talks. The would return, it's not ISIS they're dealing with .

RobbingBandit

Only if they attack South Korea or any American naval bases in the area first it would take a massive show of force from DPRK for Trump to show his hand.

Hector Bellend

He wont

blackcard

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

NK want the USA to make the first move so that Ping Pong Dim can say '' I told you so'' to his people.
The US know that NK is untouchable, that if they attacked it would play right into Ping Pong Dims hands, and he would attack the south in response.

I think I am correct in saying that the decision to attack rests with Trump. I would not trust his judgment on anything.

Autochange

Wont happen. I dont see the big deal anyway. North Korea have always said we will nuke/ attack the Us mainland if we are provoked or attacked first. The provoked or attacked first bit is always left out of the news we are fed. The us dosnt spent 600 billion on weapons and military equipment each year for the fun of it. They need and want to be involved in conflict.

Are Am Eye

bear1 wrote: »

The eu would do well to keep their noses out of it.
Trump can't simply fire off a nuke and I somehow doubt north Korea is that stupid to attack the us first as Russia and China would probably back the US.
At the same time though, the US should stop the yearly drills with the South and antagonizing the north in exchange for them stopping their nuclear ambitions.
Win win on both sides.

They won't, as I said already, fire off a nuke.
They can use conventional weapons to give NK a slap down.
The kings of the modern battle field - the computer, the satellite and the missile. The US knows where NK has its ICBMs. They know where they manufacture them. They know their research and development facilities.
Those will all go up in smoke along with NK's naive presumptions.
They won't even see it coming.

Den14

The US are most likely drawing up all their big targets at the moment be it from their recon sorties or satelite imaging. Once they get the ok from the Chinese and Russians and it will just be a nod and a wink for want of a better way of putting it they will most likely strike hard and fast with conventional weapons. Any NK offensive units will be neutralized first. The whole thing will only last a few days. It's the mess that happens afterwards is what is going to be problematic. Boots on the ground with the help of the south Koreans or possibly some Chinese intervention just to keep diplomacy in the region. That phase may last quite a while.

andekwarhola

Trump will be immediately prohibited from ever holding a season ticket for Bray Wanderers FC.

degsie

More important question is if Trump eventually suffers from Alzheimer's, how would we know?

Den14

blackcard wrote:

I think I am correct in saying that the decision to attack rests with Trump. I would not trust his judgment on anything.

Trump will go with what his military advisors tell him to do.

jimmycrackcorm

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

NK seem reasonable though, it's still a very safe but a very controlled place. The US should send people in for direct talks. The would return, it's not ISIS they're dealing with .

They would return alight, but in a coma.

The U.S. can't attack NK with conventional weapons because NK can retaliate with artillery to decimate Seoul. There's no way the Americans will commit to losing thousands of their troops in a conventional war like the Vietnam or Korean wars. The only option is for a massive strike such as nuclear.

Kim getting to the point of having a ballistic missile reach the U.S. mainland will be the trigger for the U.S. to pre-emptively strike. The difference with the cold war was that the Russians didn't keep telling everyone they were going to attack, but Kim doing so will make Americans support a pre-emptive attack.

TheRiverman

There is always the threat that a missile could be launched from Bray,then Trump will not know what way to turn.

blackcard

Den14 wrote: »

blackcard wrote:

I think I am correct in saying that the decision to attack rests with Trump. I would not trust his judgment on anything.

Trump will go with what his military advisors tell him to do.

Why do you think he will start listening to advisors when he hasn't done so to date?Particularly if his popularity continues to decline

Den14

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

The U.S. can't attack NK with conventional weapons because NK can retaliate with artillery to decimate Seoul. There's no way the Americans will commit to losing thousands of their troops in a conventional war like the Vietnam or Korean wars. The only option is for a massive strike such as nuclear.

I'd be very surprised if the US go nuclear. The Chinese would not stand for it nor would the the south Koreans or even possibly the Japanese. Fallout and radiation poisoning in the region would be problematic.