No, North Korea Will NOT Start a Nuclear War Tomorrow

Mad Dog Bluff Based on Fear of U.S.-South Korean War Games Turning Into Real Invasion

It’s easy to make jokes about North Korea. For example, the following 2 photos show the entire North Korean navy:

And this photo shows the North Korean army showing of their entire collection of weapons:

But North Korea’s threat to launch a test missile over Japan tomorrow has raised tensions substantially.

Does this mean nuclear war?

No.

Initially, both Japan and the U.S. are deploying missile defense systems which can shoot down any missiles which North Korea aims at Japan, South Korea or the U.S.

Moreover, as crazy as North Korea’s threats are, they are arguably in response to massive U.S. and South Korean war games … which simulate a nuclear attack on North Korea.

As the Wall Street Journal reported last month:

Some U.S. officials argued that the bomber flights would be unduly provocative and akin to recent North Korean actions, which these officials said have irresponsibly ratcheted up tensions. Defense officials acknowledged that North Korean military officers are particularly agitated by bomber flights because of memories of the destruction wrought from the air during the Korean War. [The United States Air Force demolished every target over one story during the Korean War. It also dropped more napalm than it did later in Vietnam.]

***

U.S. officials said they didn’t believe North Korea could detect the approach of the B-2s but couldn’t be certain. They noted that once the bombers passed over the Korean peninsula, they were no longer trying to hide their presence.

“We could fly it at night, but the point was for them to see it,” said a U.S. defense official.

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George Washington blogs at Washington’s Blog.