More power to North Korea. Shove it in the world's face that you can do whatever the hell you want. Also, props to Iran.

I'm sick and tired of "super powers" who are already armed telling smaller countries they shouldn't be able to (since they might be threats and throw the balance of power out of their favour). Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black to me.

yeah!

Screw all that. This isn't about fairness. It's about people with the maturity of young children having access to nuclear weapons. I absolutely agree that it isn't fair, but frankly, I don't give a rat's ass. If there is one thing I admire about our neighbour to the South, it's the extent it's willing to go to in order to protect itself. People are constantly trying to cast such behaviour in a bad light; I feel it's more honourable than what most nations are doing.

If there is a creepy psychopath next door, and you can see him through his window painting pictures of your daughter, and receiving shipments of guns for his own private collection which is none of your business, how do you respond? Do you decide that what's just and proper is to let him have his space, because all he's doing is within his own home? Hell no! You break down the door and you snap the little fucker's neck and leave him limp and twitching behind you as you walk out. What the U.S. is doing to North Korea would be like calling the dude on the phone and saying you didn't want to hang out with him anymore unless he stopped collecting guns. Honestly, I have no idea how anyone can have a problem with that.

The extreme tension over the possibility of an all-out nuclear war is something the world has already been through. If North Korea wanted to join the party, they should have been on the ball in the early sixties. Now they've lost their chance, and I say, too effing bad. More power to the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Russia and China, in this case, for taking steps to ensure that maybe me and my loved ones don't have to worry about a damaging nuclear conflict. There is, thanks to these domineering developed nations, less of a chance that I'm going to have to live with that kind of bullshit, and that, to me, is worth far more than being fair.

It's going to be a pride issue as far as I can see. While I understand the point that Korea is trying to make about the control of the states, I say just get over it. Who cares. Fight over things that are worth while, not something as foolish as this. Bush is going to be in a tricky spot now. He's claimed that he is going to react to them if they launch anything, now they have. If Bush follows through he's going to have a problem on his hands, if he doesn't he will have ever other country (ie Iran ) saying "HEY! I wanna do that too!"

Looks like a mess to me either way. Let us not forget either the fact that Asian countries have MASSIVE amounts in their population. A little nam came along and kicked our collective asses until we all had to back out. Yeah...this sucks. The end.

link...good example, I liked it. I would like you to be my family so that I might feel all safe cause you will snap their necks like twigs. Teehee.

...whatever.

Just because these guys are behind the times doesn't mean they don't have the right to arm themselves. They might not be the stablest of nations, but hell... neither is India or Pakistan (think Kashmir) and there seems to be no big issues with their nukes. I also love how everyone ignored North Korea three years ago when the focus was on Iraq.

The current response North Korea is getting is exactly what they want. The whole world is playing into their hands. Just ignore this shit and get on with your life. The same way you can't live your life thinking a terrorist is gonna blow you up otherwise you'll get paranoid and have your freedoms slowly taken away in the name of protection and safety.

True, true. Not *everyone* ignored them 3 years ago, though... Bush said they were part of the AXIS OF EVIL! (dun dun dun...) :)

Besides... you can't hug your children with nuclear arms.

hehehe

Seriously, though, *does* each nation have the right to arm itself? From their own perspective, certainly, yes. But armament is about combat, and combat is about confliction. The very nature of military implies a contest between perspectives, and that one nation need not share another nation's views on what is right and wrong. The purpose of a military is, whether defensively or offensively, to impose one nation's idea of what should be upon another. Thus, by saying that each nation has the right to 'arm' themselves (i.e. take steps to ensure their own defense through militaristic means), you're saying that each nation has the right to at least go so far as preparing to impose their morals on another, should a circumstance arise that necessitates such action. The five other nations involved simply see this as such a relevant circumstance, and I can't exactly say I disagree with that. If you attempt to use logic to negate my point by saying that South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the U.S. do not have the right to impose their views forcefully on another nation, you will thereby negate the entire reason for a military's existence, and thus, in so doing, your own point that each nation has the right to arm itself. :P

Pakistan and India were "advised" against enhancing their nuclear capabilities prior to the missile tests they both conducted. The standard diplomatic protocol for dealing with such a circumstance remained true to form, in that case: upon completion of successful test launches, applicant nation is accepted to the nuclear club and warned not to cause any trouble. Thence, they too exert pressure on other nations attempting to do the same