What if NK truly bombs LA?

[sick_brah07]

lol at people believing the US can just wipe north korea off the map

[SevereUpInHere]

Not reading the whole thread, hopefully this hasn't been posted.

[Lebron23]

[TheAnchorman]

Sanctions actually hurt the people and economy moreso than the government because they usually find skirmishes around it while the people suffer. You can see evidences of this with Saddam and Fidel Castro, so it is easy to say the dictators are living lavishly while the people are suffering, but that is a deceptive line of reasoning because it really is the sanctions that are holding a nation's economy hostage from trade, food, and finances.

Lifting sanctions isn't going to mean that the economy and people's lives are going to get better. You know why? Because all that "trade/food/commerce" that North Korea would gain from lifted sanctions goes to one place: their military. "Songun" policy is what they call it, military first above all else. There is a BIG reason why despite the tons of international aid North Korea received in the 90s, there was still a huge famine that killed millions of their population and stunted their youth. Because their system blows.

These sanctions do not affect most of their population as much as you'd think. For example, one of the limits recently enacted after the 3rd nuclear test was a ban on imported luxury goods... goods that are usually only used by the elite, some of the military and many in the Korean Workers Party. Why would the other 95% of NK need luxury goods when North Korea looks like this:


The only way they are going to ever raise the standard of living for their civilians is through market reform, not some failed "Juche" policy or some "international aid".

In all honesty, I welcome these sanctions with open arms. It is basically telling North Korea that they can't threaten anyone to give them "aid" in order to keep their failing regime above water. Which is why they are posturing extremely hard right now, like a 5-year old kid that really wants that GI joe or else he's gonna hold his breath till his face turns blue.