North Korean Soldiers Assist Assad in the War Against the Syrian People

On second, thought, this could have real possibilities.

The Arab world is well-known for its fear and loathing of dogs. Koreans are known for eating dogs. North Koreans are known for not having enough to eat.

Maybe there will be a big export market for 개고기 (dog meat) from a victorious Assad regime in Syria to thank their North Korean liberators? Take a product worth little or nothing in the Arab world, and send it to North Korea where it's a delicacy.

Unfortunately, the new "coalition of the willing" involving Russians, Iranians, Cubans, and North Koreans may actually be vicious enough to defeat ISIS. If they succeed, and if China decides Russian-imposed stability in the Middle East is what's necessary to get a regular flow of oil to Chinese industry, we have a much worse problem than we do today.

I truly hope you're right, Tiger, about the number of troops being sent being minimal.

It's one thing for North Korea to send small groups of special forces to be mercenary “palace guards” for Assad. (Actually, it's probably a really good idea for Assad who can't necessarily trust his own people.) But a large-scale deployment of North Koreans, or a deployment of enough North Koreans to come back and influence the North Korean leadership to send them out again to win more battles, could be a truly horrible development.

As you know, Tiger, Korean troops on both sides of the DMZ are known for iron discipline. There are reasons why the US Army accepted President Park's offer to use South Korean troops in some of the nastiest engagements of the Vietnam War. Sending highly disciplined and aggressive North Korean troops into the Arab world, where military forces are not known for discipline, could create all sorts of problems. The Communist Viet Minh and Viet Cong ran from South Korean troops during the Vietnam War, due at least in part to some of the most horrible reprisals imaginable by South Koreans troops against Vietnamese Communists.

If Arab insurgents decide that North Koreans are as dangerous as the Vietnamese Communists thought the South Koreans were, North Korea will get a reputation all over the Middle East for fierceness. Getting a reputation for fierceness and toughness in battle is not irrelevant in the Middle East.

Recent news reports indicate that China is supporting Russia's latest move in Mid-East. I think that, from China's point of view, Russian-imposed stability would suit her interest. It may require more military operation and lots of political maneuvering to get there, though. This thing can easily escalate. If ISIS starts to crumble, Turkey may step in.

This thing is basically up to China. Troops should be gathered, trained, and shipped to Syria in large numbers. They have to be housed and supplied as long as they remain there. China has enough resources to bankroll such an operation, while Russia may be short of funds, due to their recent economic woes.

N. Koreans may not be up to speed on modern warfare. However, they can be good at up-close-and-personal fights in the trench.

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