General Chat

North Korea has expressed willingness to talk to the United States :-0

...this could be interesting.....

Let's hope it's not Donald Trump and Kim Jng un talking directly to each other.

Quite so Maggie.

On Friday Donald Trump was making yet more threats.
Hardly peace talks.

Potentially plausible.

Potentially catastrophic!

The first step on a long journey is just as vital as the last one.

Unfortunately, Trump has a habit of putting the boot in on his first step!

I wonder how much all parties really want to seek peace and how much is just buying time......

The North Koreans have always been willing to talk if they think they can get something out of the talks. They have never once followed up talks by keeping to their undertakings. Several times serious initiatives towards peace made by South Korea have been destroyed by N Korea. On past form Olympic dilplomacy will go the same way.

One reason why the USA has always refused face to face talks is that with the multi country set up nations with skin in the game such as Japan and China are also involved. Otherwise what is the point?

Six months ago a lot of people including some who post here thought that war was imminent. I said it wouldn't happen and it didn't. N Korea may be untrustworthy but they are not mad and there won't be any war this year or anytime.

N.K. knows perfectly well that it cannot create a missile system that is any real threat to the USA and won't push it. The whole stupid missle program is primarily designed to prevent Korean unification. It ahs to work but not very well.

More serious for N.K. than Trump's huffing and puffing is that China has run out of patience. Sponsoring an irritation to the USA was one thing. Korea as a nuclear capable nation next door to China is something entirely different with which the Bejing will not put.

If you really want another Asian war the serious flashpoint is not N Korea but the South China Sea. The idiots in HMG are planning to send the new aircraft carrier
"Queen Elizabeth" there into disputed waters a.s.a.p. in order to fly the flag. It is also policy to increase China trade. Ho hum.

I agree about the South China Sea, Rollo.

It has always been a bone of contention.

My son has a certificate which was my Dad's, issued to those in the Fist Fleet to enter the South China Sea after the fall of Singapore. He left behind a wonderful collection of photos, clippings and other items as he was in both the Pacific Fleet and the Atlantic.

Japan, which had forsaken military spending following WW2 has begun to re-arm - and wouldn't you when faced with a rising China and the two Koreas fronting up to each other and only coming together when it is expedient for the North to do so?

I have not boned up on Asia for a while because I have thought that it is only a matter of time before domination begins - and it has done so. At one time, in the fairly recent past, while the USA had the largest weaponry, China had the largest number of armed forces personnel. By now, I expect Trump and Obama advisors have ensured that that has been rectified - and if not, it is about time because it would be wise to do so, not as an ego-booster but as a safeguard.

Regardless of the age-old animosity between Japan and China, inward investment (especially Japan to China) is not only done for profit but with the bigger picture in mind. Chinese influence has been spreading around the world for decades, eg mining in Africa. A finger in most pies.

So, the prospect of North and South Korea uniting when it suits, the Japan/China surprising entente cordiale and the fact that most smaller Asian countries will fall in line behind the larger ones does not bode well for the western world this century.

Meanwhile, if we think about a split Europe and the animosities therein, squabbles between Russia and its surrounding states, we may find it safer to line up with a bombastic, egotistic US President because one thing is sure and that is that we don't have the clout to take on Asia without a powerful alliance - and I expect others, such as France, will fall into step behind us.

That is, of course, if the Middle East has not blown itself to kingdom come in the meantime.

I wouldn't say the north Koreans have always been willing to talk if they think they can get something out of the talks, otherwise the fact they've said they'll talk wouldn't be news worthy!!
They do, however have a history, over many years, of saying that any snub or perceived insult is a 'declaration of war'.

HMS Queen Elizabeth isn't due to sail into the waters until 2021.
However, HMS Sutherland will sail through the disputed region on her way home from Australia, this year.
The intention isn't to start a war, it is, as you say, a freedom of navigation exercise, which is where a warship sails through a disputed bit of sea to send the message “you can’t stop us doing this”. The idea is to reinforce the notion that international waters, where anyone has right of free passage, can’t be unilaterally claimed by one country.

The Chinese response is hardly war-like either. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said:
"Currently the South China Sea is calm and tranquil. We hope other countries won't begin stirring up trouble."

Meanwhile Chinese state propaganda publication, the Global Times demanded that the RN should "behave modestly" while transiting the South China Sea - and said that the MoD is "trying to validate its existence and grab attention".

Continuing Satellite imagery shows China is gradually taking over the South China Sea.

China & the US are at loggerheads concerning the man-made islands where, we are told, now have anti-aircraft batteries & fighter jets ready for action.

Deadly dangerous I'd say.

Which would explain why aircraft carriers are sailing in the waters.

Nuclear weapons aren't too safe, either......

Rollo,please explain your second paragraph. It makes no sense at all.

I think many of us said a while back we wouldn't be surprised if the idiots on both sides did something stupid, not sure any of us put a time limit on it...so if it's been six months of "peace" great but that's because they knew the Worlds press would be looking closely to the area....now the games are over lets see who knows....

Unstable dictatorships & Islamic terrorist groups can cause consternation worldwide & many sleepless nights for political leaders.

My worry with Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un - which this thread is about - is that they both have a vast amount of 'growing up' to do :-(

Looking forward to listening to 'Analysis' on BBC Radio 4 this evening, the topic under discussion concerns how dictators survive in office.

I am always intrigued by how they become dictators.

By oppression and having total total control and instilling fear.by any means.....also they make their followers belive them to be supreme rulers,,,,,,,,,,,in other words.....

be a nutter and megalomanic..


:-D.

So,how would you set about that then?