North Korea Threatens US With Preemptive Nuclear Strike

jppiiroinen writes "North Korea threatened the United States on Thursday with a preemptive nuclear strike, raising the level of rhetoric while the U.N. Security Council considers new sanctions against the reclusive country."

Comments

Re:How long before..

[AliasMarlowe]

Only as long as it takes to convince China that they need our purchasing power more than they need to protect the twerps in Pyongyang.

In which meaning do you use the word "need" here?
There are several possibilities, and you apparently have not considered all of them. First, an economic need in the supplier-customer relationship, in both short-term and long-term variants. The purchasing power of a customer speaks only to this one. Second, the political needs of China, also in short-term and long-term variants. It may be more attractive to China to encourage Pyongyang's lunacy as a recurring barb against the USA, with all of the geopolitical benefits accruing therefrom. Third, the need of a customer (USA) to bludgeon an old friend (North Korea). For this, neither economic nor political issues may determine the outcome; the old friend is supported through thick and thin.