North Korean Rocket Launch (& New Nuke Test)

[Gooch]

The thing that makes this a bit more notable is that Kim Jong Il is essentially in a transitioning state and there is still a successor yet to be determined though it appears that his sissy middle son is now the frontrunner over the youngest son. Does this action signify the sense of urgency of a dying man or is it the manifestation of a more aggressive approach from a new young face or both?

[Rich]

"You have to combine pressure with incentives and I think we are in a position to begin talking about things that we can provide and do what the North Koreans would find positive,

lol

[Andrew]

Old, yet sadly relevant.

[Frogacuda]

Iran now has a missile (supposedly) that can reach Israel and US bases in the area and North Korea has officiated a complete nuclear weapons program. I wonder what will happen if one of these countries uses their nuclear weapons in actual warfare? I'm sure the United States would wipe them off the map, but the possible consquences are great.

I wonder, since 1945, is a nuclear war ultimately inevitable?

I don't think global nuclear war will ever happen. The fear has so dominated the fiction of mankind that there's no way every country would join in. But I doubt we've seen the last nuclear bomb dropped. Eventually someone will be crazy or stupid enough to do it.

[Frogacuda]

The thing that makes this a bit more notable is that Kim Jong Il is essentially in a transitioning state and there is still a successor yet to be determined though it appears that his sissy middle son is now the frontrunner over the youngest son. Does this action signify the sense of urgency of a dying man or is it the manifestation of a more aggressive approach from a new young face or both?

Neither. It's the result of years of determined work. This is their second nuclear test.

[Razor Ramon]

Nuclear programs such as this can lead to nuclear power, which is an effective way to power North Korea. I still don't trust the country, though.

[Frogacuda]

Nuclear programs such as this can lead to nuclear power, which is an effective way to power North Korea. I still don't trust the country, though.

If American was investing research into fusion power all these years, we would have been able to offer a safe, efficient power source to the world that can't make bombs.

[Gooch]

Neither. It's the result of years of determined work. This is their second nuclear test.

Understood but the tests are also political messages being sent and there is a reason behind the timing of these tests. Pyongyang threatened to conduct this test unless the UN Security Council apologized for for imposing sanctions on North Korea after an April 5th rocket test. Why they decided to do so only five days after having announced that the middle son would be the likely successor to Kim Jong Il is what intrigues me.

[haohmaru]

If American was investing research into fusion power all these years, we would have been able to offer a safe, efficient power source to the world that can't make bombs.

If by "American" you mean private and public corporations then I would submit that if it were profitable they would have been doing it.

If by "American" you mean our government, then fuck no. It's not our government's responsibility to venture into this kind of stuff - particularly if it undermines (competes with) other forms of power like natural gas, coal, electric, etc... Our government shouldn't be competition for our corporations.

[kedawa]

There's also the very real possibility that cold fusion just can't be done.
Throwing money at an impossible problem won't solve anything.