As speculation mounts that Kim Jong-un and Trump could meet this month, analysts say Pyongyang will continue to see nuclear weapons as a matter of survival

As speculation mounts that Kim Jong-un and Trump could meet this month, analysts say Pyongyang will continue to see nuclear weapons as a matter of survival

North Korea’s launch last week of a missile from a naval destroyer elicited an uncharacteristically prosaic analysis from the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un. The launch was proof, he said, that arming ships with nuclear weapons was “making satisfactory progress”.

But the test, and Kim’s mildly upbeat appraisal, were designed to reverberate well beyond the deck of the 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel the Choe Hyon – the biggest warship in the North Korean fleet.

His pointed reference to nuclear weapons was made as the US and Israel continued their air bombardment of Iran – a regime Donald Trump had warned, without offering evidence, was only weeks away from having a nuclear weapon.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
      14·
      12 hours ago

      How on earth would a nuclear arsenal have benefited the Maiden Revolutionaries?

      If anything, a nuclear armed Ukraine would have been invaded by Russia that much sooner.

      • Jännät@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        2·
        7 hours ago

        If anything, a nuclear armed Ukraine would have been invaded by Russia that much sooner.

        That’s generally not how nuclear deterrence works.

        Also, 2014 was when Russia invaded Crimea

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
          11·
          7 hours ago

          The nukes aren’t a deterrent if they’re manned by the colonizing entity.

          And Russia invaded Crimea in response to the Maiden Revolution, which ousted a friendly government that was giving Russia easy access to the Crimean ports. Crimea hosts the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

          Imagine the US response if The Philippines or Japan installed a pro-China government.

          • SapphironZA@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            1·
            5 hours ago

            Why did Russia not invade Poland then?

            They also switched to a pro-west government and resulted in loss of naval facilities. They were also part of the Russian empire and the USSR.

            Same thing happened to China, with multiple pro-west governments in their neigbours.

            Also, we do know what happens in the case of the US. It happened with Cuba.

            Powerful empires always seek to puppet their neigbours. There are only 2 things that effectively prevent that. Mutual Economic entanglement of open democracies and the threat of nuclear weapons.