do they possess the ability to back up the threats ... i know they have threatened to have the capability to attack CA with missles ... evidently that was false ... exactly what could they do?
It is speculated that North Korea
does indeed possess a nuclear capability. But most analysts feel that they do not yet have a delivery vehicle suitable for a nuclear strike on the United States. Variations of the Taepodong-2 missile, according to Wikipedia and other sources, are thought to be able to reach Alaska. But the configuration enabling that range would not allow for anything other than a small-yield conventional payload. The only known test of a missile thought to have the range to reach CA resulted in failure in 2009.
It
is widely agreed however, that NK
does possess a short-range nuclear capability, with a reach at least including South Korea and possibly Japan. So do they possess the ability to back up threats? Yes, they can strike American interests in the region. Would they? No:
a) North Korea would have to be stupid to do such a thing - it would immediately result in an American retaliation that would permanently eliminate North Korea from the planet. Neither China nor Russia would, under the circumstances of North Korea's hypothetical first strike, be in a political position for nuclear retaliation against us. Kim Jong-Il may be eccentric and a bit crazy, but he's not stupid. More importantly, his top aids and generals aren't crazy or stupid, and I don't believe they would permit a first strike nuclear attack against the US.
b) North Korea and Kim Jong-Il have a LONG history of wild, over the top, blustery threats and saber-rattling. He is merely trying to be acknowledged as a player in the international community. "Supreme Leader" has an ego-issue and delusions of grandeur - international recognition means he's a world player and feeds his hungry self image.
c) He's also using these threats as propaganda for his own people. You have to understand that the people of North Korea have literally NO outside information or information not given to them by the government of North Korea. If the people are told that the United States and the Republic of Korea backed down to "Supreme Leader's" threats, they will believe it. This would bolster the regime's standing and grip on national power. How would the people know if the US and ROK conducted their exercise, if they weren't told by the North Korean government?
Truth be known, China can't stand North Korea either and only keeps them around as a buffer-zone between themselves and the more westernized (and capitalized) South. In my opinion, this is also a big reason why they intervened in the Korean War. They
knew we wouldn't push into China as that would have drawn the USSR into the war more forcefully. The cold world war would have become a hot WWIII. China wanted to maintain the Korean buffer. So how's it feel, Kim - to be expendable cannon fodder for the Chinese?
