North Korea: Threat or Blackmailer?

It shouldn't be a fear. Nuclear material can be traced to its origin, so anything nuclear passed on to a terrorist would be traced back to NK in the event something were to happen. At that point, NK (or any other country) would be treated exactly the same as if they had launched the weapon themselves.

Take for instance, Pakistan. They are known supporters of terrorists, and hold nuclear weapons. Not a single solitary nuclear device or materials has ever been passed on. They know their existence would end if it did.

I agree with you on this. Generically, sometimes it seems like people think nuclear weapon grade material is something that you just get and then bing bang boom you have a bomb. It's not really that simple. Further, even if a terrorist group were to get hold of something usable, getting it anywhere that it would be effective is nearly impossible as well.

All that said, comparing Pakistan's situation with NK, is not a good comparison. Although Pakistan does give aid and comfort to terrorists at some level, they are not a pariah in the international community, and their nuclear level is directly in response to India's equivalent threat. Pakistan needs to be seen as a good nuclear player, for fear of international backlash that would empower India. NK, on the other hand, is a dictatorial regime, and absolutely despises the West, and international rules.

One last difference is that from a perspective of haves and have nots, Pakistan is in the company of the haves on nuclear weapons which entitles them to more leeway, NK is a have not, and there is a belligerence towards all haves that comes from that.

Sounds more like you would have to make an educated guess at best. We could let Collen Powell present the evidence to the UN. I hear he is pretty good at that. You say don't fear it getting into the wrong hands but that's our goverments biggest fear and why we care who has the capability.
To go with NC_Skins on this, the government has a vested interest in keeping people afraid of terrorists. It allows them to act in ways that a non-fearful population would never allow. Between that fact, the media playing up singular fear inducing events, and Hollywood creating impossible situations to make an exciting plotline, I doubt the US population at large has any clue of what is and isn't possible. A terrorist cell doesn't get to test out their stuff, they aren't doing underground testing. They need something quick and dirty, and hope that no intelligence agency gets a whiff of it.


A side note: Do you know why the USSR and USA built enough weapons to destroy the world multiple of multiple times over? (anecdotal answer, not something stated as fact, but someone I know who would have reason to know at the time implied it - (this is my best a friend of a friend who knows a friend who worked in a lab answer):

The simple answer is because we didn't know with confidence that the actual weapons would work. We knew that all the moving parts worked per se, but the actual weapons, not as confident. The reason reduction treaties started being agreed to is that our confidence in the capability was maturing.

This is a great look at the demilitarized zone closeup:

North And South Korea DMZ - Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/north-and-south-korea-dmz-border-is-a-warzone-2013-2?op=1#ixzz2MxzDVIqn)

This is a great look at the demilitarized zone closeup:

North And South Korea DMZ - Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/north-and-south-korea-dmz-border-is-a-warzone-2013-2?op=1#ixzz2MxzDVIqn)

That was a great read.

Analysis: Bellicose North Korea forces China to shift stance on old friend - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-bellicose-north-korea-forces-china-shift-stance-051542318--business.html)

This article has some interesting inside Chinese political views.

So now the North Korean army says the armistice is invalid.
Really doesnt mean much unless you start shooting.

My girlfriend is Korean. I find it interested that her family and in general, Koreans in general, seem to be ignoring all of this news. They just figure it's the North being the North. They see it as nothing but empty threats. Very itneresting.

South Korea Flirts With Nuclear Ideas as North Blusters (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/world/asia/as-north-korea-blusters-south-breaks-taboo-on-nuclear-talk.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&hp)

NY Times.com: By MARTIN FACKLER and CHOE SANG-HUN

"SEOUL, South Korea — As their country prospered, South Koreans have largely shrugged off the constant threat of a North Korean attack. But breakthroughs in the North’s missile and nuclear programs and fiery threats of war have heightened fears in the South that even small miscalculations by the new and untested leaders of each country could have disastrous consequences."

South Korea government: Malicious code in NongHyup bank system came from Chinese IP - @YonhapNews http://t.co/UAQNSMbr7r


it just keeps going round and round

My girlfriend is Korean. I find it interested that her family and in general, Koreans in general, seem to be ignoring all of this news. They just figure it's the North being the North. They see it as nothing but empty threats. Very itneresting.

Now we know why you kick puppies.