The new old war in Korea

[Nystul]

I think you vastly overstate Chinese diplomatic clout. They are powerful, but they are not the emperors of the universe. If North Korea unilaterally starts a nuclear war, China's UN veto isn't going to stop the retaliation. Think of 3000 September 11ths, all at once. That's the kind of disaster the international community would be faced with.

Absolutely. The situation would be dictated by military strategy and I think things would happen very quickly. I don't know enough about North Korea's capabilities to speculate on whether they would face immediate nuclear retaliation, but there would be something happening to try to immediate disrupt their military capabilities, and that would just be the start. Of course their would be diplomacy with China, but there wouldn't be time for posturing. Chinese government could possibly save face by condemning North Korea's atrocity, but in any case they would have nothing to gain by counterattacking the U.S or European nations.

For what it's worth, I don't think the North Korean regime is really that crazy. They have their own warped forms of posturing and propaganda and trying to get a bigger seat at the table. I don't think they are crazy enough to open war with a nuclear strike.