Posted on 09/09/2010 4:58:44 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
N.K. collapse could spark global crisis
2010-09-05 17:22
QUANTICO, Virginia (AFP) -- North Korea‘s regime has long defied naysayers by persevering through famines, floods and global opprobrium.
But what would happen if the upcoming power transition marks the beginning of the end?
In the view of one U.S. military strategist, a collapse of North Korea -- a dirt-poor nation with an indoctrinated population and nuclear-armed military -- could result in no less than the greatest world crisis in modern times.
Col. David Maxwell, who heads the Strategic Initiatives Group at the Army’s Special Operations Command, said that the U.S. needed to invest more time planning for the most dire scenario, even if it does not transpire.
U.S. troops have been stationed in South Korea since the 1950-53 war to guard against attack. A North Korean advance could easily hit densely populated Seoul, just an hour‘s drive from the frontier, and would send shockwaves through economic powers Japan, China and South Korea.
“I believe a conventional attack by the North would be the worst crisis that the international community has faced since the end of World War II,”
Maxwell said in a presentation at the Marines Corps University in Quantico, Virginia.
“But I think the real worst case would be regime collapse,” said Maxwell, who stressed he was speaking in a private capacity.
(Excerpt) Read more at koreaherald.com ...
P!
I don’t understand this. If North Korea collapses, what effect would that have on anything? The North Korean economy is the size of a small town in Podunk, USA.
Terrorists are a whiney bunch of piglets and they all have one thing in common —blackmail.
The whole reason they developed their piddly little nuclear device -
to threaten other nations into supporting their failed communist system.
Bomb the northern part of North with food. Would the military continue to press its attack southward or turn back to the feeding frenzy? ... for either restoring control or for the sustenance
Even the sinking of one S. Korean frigate back in March initially sent shockwave to world market, fearing that it would lead to bigger military confrontation.
It is not the size of NK's economy but its potential to spark terror in already jittery world financial market precariously propped up by government printing press.
Good article, TLR. Thanks for posting!
The concern is for the South Korean economy. That could be the domino for worldwide global fiscal crisis, assuming the North invades. That would be my guess.
OK, I understand that. The title of the article is talking about an economic collapse theh the article goes on to talk about military action initiated by the North Koreans. Two things that don’t match.
The transition will surely produce turmoil, perhaps not at first, but eventually.
North Korea may possess a big military, but it will not have the resources for a sustained effort. It has no operational experience and even though the top generals are weighted down with medals, they are merely window dressing. Once begun, an invasion of the south will be headed toward failure because there is not adequate leadership to pull it off.
Once begun, the intramural enmities will produce a failed effort
“The concern is for the South Korean economy.”
That makes more sense.
Best thing for North Koreans would be if S. Korea took control of it and significantly would reduce mass pverty if even if phased in over time.
It could mean that North and South Korea become one country again and the South would bring the North into the 21st. century.
Now ,who’s fault is it that the North was allowed to get a Nuclear weapon.?Who’s fault is iot that Iran will soon have it.
The world cries and shakes in fear of this happenstance, but they have done little to stop it.
Bah - The primary concern for the world would be the continuation of the NK regime, not the failure of it.
Of course, success and good things in general have a price but the free world is resilient enough to absorb and correct the problems arising from the collapse of another fascist regime.
Far worse would be the endless continuation of a dangerous, unpredictable, isolated communist state that has actively spread nuclear weapons and tech around the world.
Help the damn thing die already.
” Once begun, the intramural enmities will produce a failed effort “
I look at it this way -
A Smart-Car may not have much of a chance in a collision with a Kenworth, but clearing the wreckage from such a collision will still tie up the freeway for hours....
I never expected that Cheonan incident would send such a shockwave into world financial market. Financial Times was so freaked out that it pulled out well-known N. Korea specialist to write a column for 'pleading against war.' I thought that only pinko losers in S. Korea freak out so fast. Now I know likes of Goldman Sachs can breathe fire to U.S. gov but is scared to death about likes of Chia Head. This is truly deplorable development, but it is unfortunately true.
Still I don't mind Goldman Sachs crash, whatever the collateral damage is. We are just holding off the big crash, and the N. Korean disaster would only bring on the inevitable. It is not as if N. Korea would single-handedly create the crash.
I want the N. Korean regime to go down as well as this sick parade of artificially propped up market thanks to losers such as Bernanke and Krugman.
N. Korea collapse can result in long-awaited resolution in a messy way, because we have not properly anticipate and prepare for it. Many countries let world finance out of control and also failed to step in more resolutely to resolve N. Korean nuclear problem.
A small town in Podunk, USA with a million man army of fanatics and nuclear weapons.
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