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No it won't. The united states will never put boots on the ground against a nuclear capable state willing to use them. maybe it will end in a nuclear exchange b
by mathperson 9y ago
No it won't. The united states will never put boots on the ground against a nuclear capable state willing to use them. maybe it will end in a nuclear exchange by mistake..but if we (the human race) survived the cold war with a vastly more threatening posture this will be fine in the end.
- TomMarius 9y agoThe big difference is that back in the day, the opposing side was consisting of fairly reasonable people.
- glhaynes 9y agoAlso, "our" side.
- delecti 9y agoAnd so was ours.
- exhilaration 9y agoI think the unreasonableness of the North Korean regime has been blown far out of proportions by Western governments and their media.
- jonknee 9y agoWho's to say the OP was talking about North Korea's regime? I certainly don't trust Trump to deal rationally.
- mathperson 9y agoThis is also a good point.
- muninn_ 9y agoNo it's not. Even if you despise Trump this isn't reasonable. This is just hyperbole and nonsense.
- liberte82 9y agoTrump: If NKorea escalates nuclear threat, 'they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen'. But sure, Trump will certainly be 'rational' only because it just seems too crazy that he wouldn't be.
- mathperson 9y agoJFK almost launched off a nuclear conflagration and is considered one of the best american presidents. Donald Trump isn't even near average. These are impossibly stressful decisions in which literally millions of lives lie in the balance. I trust McMaster and Mattis..but at the end of the day the President makes the decisions. During the cuban missile crisis THE JOINT CHIEFS pushed HARD for a full out attack on the cuban mainland. JFK was almost swayed. I think it is very reasonable to ponder whether or not a 71 year old reality television star who is very clearly quite emotional...is capable of winning bets of this nature. Decision making under uncertainty is hard for even the best of us. I do not believe he is the best of us.
- muninn_ 9y agoThen what I'm wondering is why you trust the generals? Or anybody for that matter?
- mathperson 9y agoFor some reason HN isn't letting me respond to your next comment. I trust mattis because I have listened to him give many speeches and he struck me as a sober thinker willing to grapple with hard questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKIJKQRb53o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKIJKQRb53o My approval of mccmaster was originally based on his reputation stemming from his book "dereliction of duty" about how american generals mishandled vietnam. So that's why I trust them a little bit. But I do not trust them that much. I think they are intelligent people but...I think the pentagon induces a lot of group-think and intellectual momentum and suppression of dissent. When all you have is a hammer..the world looks like a nail. This is part of why I prefer having civilian Sec-Defs..and why it is important to have a president who is willing to cast aside the advice of his advisors..since in the past 15 years (though I liked ash carter and gates) a lot of that advice has been hawkish drivel. I really recommend a book called "The generals" by Thomas E. Ricks (on this topic). Tldr: don't trust the generals that much but more than trump. For why I trust people (in general), I trust people who are willing to seriously consider the possibility they are dead wrong and people brave enough to seriously consider opposing views. I trust people who try to be rigorous in all things.
- mathperson 9y agoI agree 100%
- mathperson 9y agoNorth Korea is erratic but I don't think it is erratic enough to be willing to turned into glass when it could otherwise keep doing its thing. The regime is not suicidal ( I think...)
- JustAnotherPat 9y agoLesson 2 from Robert McNamara and the Cold War: "Rationality alone will not save us."