Nuke Pyongyang

We should preemptively strike North Korea with a nuclear missile, now and without warning. Before you log off in disgust, let me explain—and then, please vote in our newest poll.

I believe war with North Korea-who threaten violence at every turn, and who have shown their capacity for deception and vile conduct at every opportunity-is inevitable. Even if you don’t agree, note this Newsweek story that argues that Kim Jong Il and his thugs will fall from power guns blazing. This isn’t Gorbachev, understanding his place in history, or Deng Xiaoping, looking to the long-term future of his country. This is not a rational geopolitical leader. Kim and his ilk will die in office or die trying to preserve their power because they know what will happen when their authoritarian regime crumbles. Do we let them pick the time and place, or do we make war on our terms? I say we strike first.

Realize what we risk if the North Korean regime decides it wants to go to war and makes the first move. Seoul has a concentrated urban population of over 10 million, and greater Tokyo is 33 million. Stop and think about what will happen if the DPRK launch even one missile. (Talk about how we can’t afford not to research and develop a missile shield) . Millions dead, the world economy damaged like nothing we’ve seen since WWII, and a perfect opportunity for China to make its move on whatever it pleases.

And it’s not just the populations of our allies. There are moral considerations in North Korea as well (and even if you don’t buy this on geopolitical grounds, it should certainly be made to the public). Yes, a strike will probably kill tens (maybe even hundreds of) thousands. But millions have starved in the DPRK since Clinton decided not to invade North Korea in 1994. The worse decision is, and has been, to do nothing.

Finally, look at the a broader, worldwide view. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the JFK administration was just as concerned about Berlin as they were about Cuba. Likewise, this is aimed just as much at Iran as it is designed to deal with the tailbone of the Cold War. I think war with North Korea is inevitable, whether we like it or not. I think a Greater Middle Eastern war is possible, even probable, if Iran gets nukes. I think the EU3 deal to stop Iran’s nuclear program is a disaster. Premptively striking North Korea would be the only thing to scare the pants off the Mullahs and show them that we mean business. The goal should be that Iran’s leaders think something along the lines of, “Dear Allah, those Americans really are that crazy…“ That might be all we can do to stop them from actually getting nukes—the belief that we will strike them before they finish development. I also think this would be more effective than striking the facilities themselves.

The scary thing about this is that we don’t even know if North Korea has nukes. At least we don’t know for sure. And we don’t know how many they have if they do. They’ve never tested a nuke. But considering the aforementioned risks, let’s give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.

THE TIMELINE
I know next to nothing about military logistics, so I’m just brainstorming here.

At around 2am DPRK time, bombers take off from Okinawa, joined soon after by planes taking off from a carrier in the Japan Sea and Seoul. Thus far, we mimic normal exercises. At 4:25am we evacuate Seoul and notify ambassadors across the globe as to what is going on, and moments later, several planes fire low-level nukes (20x Hiroshima?) on all eight of the missile locations and any other nuclear sites believed to have offensive capability. The map here is from the center-right Sankei Shinbun newspaper, and I’ve added English names to what I can read (but I don’t know the names of any of the eight sites in the North identified as missile launch locations). Our offensive should avoid population centers, and I include Pyongyang in that classification—when I advocate “nuking Pyongyang,” I am referring to the government, not the city itself.

Simultaneously, the entire air force arsenal in the Far East should be involved in taking out any and every artillery tube along the DMZ. Those bad boys are aimed at Seoul and are the greatest threat, after offensive nuclear weapons.

What follows? Once the offensive power of the military has been eviscerated, we can almost afford to wait. Contact some generals in North Korea and let them know that this isn’t armageddon, and turn those fratricidal madmen against each other. Attempted coups have taken place in the past, or have at least advanced past the planning phase. Try to work out a deal with some generals to convince them that we want to work with them in a post-KJI North Korea. Have them do the dirty work, taking out the Dear Leader and managing infrastructure and transportation as we organize some sort of provisional government where the Republic of Korea comes over and works on a proper transition.

I don’t take this lightly. This is a terrible and awful plan about where our future could take us, except for any other future I can think we face down the road. YH, Spacefish, Mutantfrog, Peter, Populist, Dr. Wallace, and any other takers… what do you think? (Saru and Adamu, I already know what you guys think, but comments are still welcome.)