Do you support a pre-emptive strike on North Korea ?

[sarisataka]

45. The time to take out

NK nuclear facilities was about fifteen years ago. The ship sailed and will never return.

Essentially there are two options with four courses of action-

Diplomatic option
- continue negotiations- which has been completely ineffective at stopping NK nuclear program

- attempt to stop 100% of trade with NK to force them to offer concessions or collapse as the country starves. Recall it was a similar boycott that led Japan to take a chance and strike Pearl Harbor

Military option-
- Pre-emptive strike on nuclear facilities. Total success is doubtful due to lack of intelligence and underground protection. Almost assuredly would require first nuclear weapon use since WW2 for greatest chance of success.
-- would require concurrent strike on NK leadership in densly populated city to minimize nuclear or conventional retaliation on SK. Casualties likely to reach or exceed one million, even in limited conflict
--- nearly 100% chance of resuming war on Korean peninsula and can plausibly escalate beyond to a full nuclear exchange between major powers. Potentially multi-billion casualties

- wait for NK to blow a 250kt hole in a city, possibly in continental US, then counter strike with all previous risks still valid