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> even if we ignore China's likely response China is literally the only reason the US tolerates North Korea. And China solely tolerates North Korea because it

> even if we ignore China's likely response China is literally the only reason the US tolerates North Korea. And China solely tolerates North Korea because it causes all sorts of irritation for the US. Arguably, it would be better off for everyone living in North Korea if one of those two powers annexed it outright, but geopolitics loves backwater proxy wars.

dragonwriter 5y ago
> China is literally the only reason the US tolerates North Korea. Closer to the active phase of the Korean War, the USSR was also a factor. Today, the US distaste for instability, and naiton-building, and North Korea not having a hoard of oil or something similar to overcome that distaste is also a reason, today.
- ocdtrekkie 5y ago
  > Today, the US distaste for instability, and nation-building This is an unpopular opinion, but I feel like we should generally accept nation-building doesn't work well, countries we leave tend to go back to being horrible in a number of years after we set up a new nation there. And accepting that, and accepting sometimes that countries are completely failed, harmful to world security, and larger countries need to intervene: Annexation isn't actually a bad concept. It's absolutely frowned upon today, but I'm not sure is worse than what we've done to half a dozen countries in the past couple decades alone. The barrier to war should be high, but at the point you obliterate a nation's governing structure, defenses, and likely civic infrastructure, you should accept you have a permanent responsibility for the civilians there. And maybe the best way to be democratic about it is to establish a process that states one annexes can petition and vote for secession after they've reached a more stable position. > North Korea not having a hoard of oil or something There's that. North Korea is a property that literally only Kim Jong Un wants. And major powers seem perfectly fine to let him have it as long as he mostlyish behaves.
- throwaway316943 5y ago
  This is strained reasoning. The threat of war with China and the literal guns pointed at millions of heads in South Korea are what prevents the US from picking off DPRK infrastructure and personnel. Compare to Iran if you doubt.

dragonwriter 5y ago

> China is literally the only reason the US tolerates North Korea. Closer to the active phase of the Korean War, the USSR was also a factor. Today, the US distaste for instability, and naiton-building, and North Korea not having a hoard of oil or something similar to overcome that distaste is also a reason, today.

ocdtrekkie 5y ago
> Today, the US distaste for instability, and nation-building This is an unpopular opinion, but I feel like we should generally accept nation-building doesn't work well, countries we leave tend to go back to being horrible in a number of years after we set up a new nation there. And accepting that, and accepting sometimes that countries are completely failed, harmful to world security, and larger countries need to intervene: Annexation isn't actually a bad concept. It's absolutely frowned upon today, but I'm not sure is worse than what we've done to half a dozen countries in the past couple decades alone. The barrier to war should be high, but at the point you obliterate a nation's governing structure, defenses, and likely civic infrastructure, you should accept you have a permanent responsibility for the civilians there. And maybe the best way to be democratic about it is to establish a process that states one annexes can petition and vote for secession after they've reached a more stable position. > North Korea not having a hoard of oil or something There's that. North Korea is a property that literally only Kim Jong Un wants. And major powers seem perfectly fine to let him have it as long as he mostlyish behaves.
throwaway316943 5y ago
This is strained reasoning. The threat of war with China and the literal guns pointed at millions of heads in South Korea are what prevents the US from picking off DPRK infrastructure and personnel. Compare to Iran if you doubt.