North Korea is a belligerent nation. It was part of the evil axis as enunciated by Ronald Reagan. The north has over the years developed weapons of mass destruction. It has a nuclear program and is also developing a delivery system in the form of ICBMs. Previous presidents have warned North Korea but nothing happened. Donald Trump is a man with a mission and he has decided to tackle North Korea with a show of force. He has ordered the Uss Carl Vinson, one of the super aircraft carriers, to take to the Korean waters. The aim is simple, to bomb North Korea with a view to stopping its development of WMD.
Gunboat diplomacy
The USS Carl Vinson one of the 10 Nimitz class supercarriers has been moved to the Korean waters. This reminds one of the days when gunboat diplomacy ruled the oceans. A classic case was in 1896 when the Royal navy opened fire on the Sultans palace at Zanzibar. The ships that were anchored in Zanzibar port carried out a 38-minute bombardment. After the bombardment, the Sultan abdicated. This is the shortest recorded war in history.
Attacking the North
Something similar is planned by Donald. He wanted to enlist the support of China, but that is not forthcoming. In such a scenario there is a distinct chance that the USA may carry out a strike on the North. The North Koreans have a developed military and their nuclear assets are deep underground.
So a strike may not yield the desired result. To effectively destroy the North’s ability to wage a war will require repeated attacks. This may not be possible because of the China factor. One can recollect that China intervened in Korea on the side of the communists in 1950. By bombing the north Donald could open a Pandora's box.
Kim Jong is a ruthless dictator and anything can be expected from him. He could as a retaliation launch a nuclear strike on Seoul( capital of South Korea), which just 38 miles from the border.
The better course for Donald
The battle lines are drawn and one hopes that Donald understands that Korea is not Syria or Iraq. It was a cake walk in both places.
Despite the easy victory, the results were terrible and Iraq is still smoldering from the flames lit by the US. Korea is a different kettle of fish. There is no doubt that Donald will score many brownie points with his supporters in case of a strike. The result of such a strike could, however, unleash forces that could, in the long run, harm the US. Donald must realize that the days of gunboat diplomacy are over and the better course is to talk directly to Kim Jong and wean him away from China. One can recollect that for years China was on the side of Vietnam, but once the North won the war, friendship between the two evaporated. They also fought a war in 1983. Something similar could happen in Korea.
