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[Mr Tk]

What I find weird is that any country that takes a loan from the World Bank has to pay the loan back including interest, EXCEPT the USA.

I remember in the mid 90's the massive calls to wipe out third world countries debt to the World Bank because many of them could only afford to pay the interest and that was it.

[Lord Dullard]

If China annexed the Korean peninsula, they'd annex the whole thing, not just the north bit.

Why in the world would you say that? If for whatever reason they ever annexed North Korea there probably wouldn't be THAT many global repercussions, relatively speaking. If they annexed SK they'd likely have a war on their hands.

[ChairmanPoo]

I dont think this is about China annexing or not the Korean Peninsula, which I seriously doubt they plan, as much as it is about the economic shockwaves that Korea War II would have over the world.

Heck, the tension itself is likely pretty bad for S. Korean investments.

[Leafsnail]

Part of the problem that is North Korea is the possibility that if the region slides the rest of the way into hell, China is poised to annex the whole frigging peninsula. Which is, of course, not in the interests of our allies in South Korea.

Why not?  The Chinese regime is significantly less repressive than the North Korean one.  Also, due to North Korea's ridiculously huge army, invading won't be an easy task even for a superpower.

If China annexed the Korean peninsula, they'd annex the whole thing, not just the north bit.

That'd be a declaration of war on the west, while getting rid of a corrupt regime in the north wouldn't be.

[rickvoid]

I agree with the above comment about economics and Korea II.

As for a Chinese/SK war, neither side will trust the other to toe the 36th perilel (it is the 36th, right?). SK is going to want NK, because it's their peninsula anyway. All it will take is a few border disputes and HERE WE GO AGAIN!!

The whole thing is bad all over.

[Aqizzar]

I submit that I know how and where to spend my hard earned cash better than government agent 32N and can do it in a manner that might actually stimulate both the US economy and that of the rest of the worlds.

I submit that you don't, because you know nothing about running a country.  Does the government fuck up?  Yes, of course it does, it's staffed by people exactly as human as you are.  Think about that for a minute.  But there's a Hell of a lot more to it than just stealing money and setting it on fire.

Just so you know, income taxes are right now about the lowest they've been for everybody since the income tax was instated.  Back during the red-blooded 1950s under Commie fighter Eisenhower the top income bracket was taxed at something around 90% when you worked it all out.  I'd have to look that up again though.

As for China holding debt, you have absolutely no understanding of China's motives if you think they're poised to annex Korea.  They don't want to annex Korea, especially North Korea, because they've got enough dirt poor starving people already.  And because North Korea's continued existence is a useful political wedge (for some reason).  And because any notion of rearranging Westphalian national borders is something that would start a nuclear war.  Now Taiwan, that's another matter.

[Neruz]

Part of the problem that is North Korea is the possibility that if the region slides the rest of the way into hell, China is poised to annex the whole frigging peninsula. Which is, of course, not in the interests of our allies in South Korea.

Why not?  The Chinese regime is significantly less repressive than the North Korean one.  Also, due to North Korea's ridiculously huge army, invading won't be an easy task even for a superpower.

If China annexed the Korean peninsula, they'd annex the whole thing, not just the north bit.

That'd be a declaration of war on the west, while getting rid of a corrupt regime in the north wouldn't be.

Depends entirely on the politics involved.

[Cthulhu]

I submit that you don't, because you know nothing about running a country. 

This is a pretty important thing to note.  It seems like a lot of the more recent forum wars have been fought by combatants who don't really know what they're talking about.

[Dakk]

Annexing NK would only bring more trouble to china, who has its hands full as of now, and it'd piss SK off and make it paranoid enough to retaliate at any given chance, since the only thing in that could possibly stop china from getting a bit too greedy would be the US, who would benefit from NK being annexed.

[zchris13]

As soon as China isn't dependent on the west to sell its goods, I think it will wage war.  But that's my crazy side talking.

[Neruz]

I submit that you don't, because you know nothing about running a country.

This is a pretty important thing to note.  It seems like a lot of the more recent forum wars have been fought by combatants who don't really know what they're talking about.

Welcome to the internets.

[Aqizzar]

As soon as China isn't dependent on the west to sell its goods, I think it will wage war.  But that's my crazy side talking.

Why would China ever want to do that?  They very much enjoy having customers.  Yes, America is the biggest market of Chinese industry, but that doesn't mean they "need" the US for anything.

I kind of lost where I was going there, but suffice to say this: There's a lot of talk about national motives in here that seems to be informed more by Civilization than anything like rational observation.  In the real world, nations don't bide their time in anticipation of the day they can take over the entire Earth landmass by force of arms.

[Dakk]

As soon as China isn't dependent on the west to sell its goods, I think it will wage war.  But that's my crazy side talking.

Why would China ever want to do that?  They very much enjoy having customers.  Yes, America is the biggest market of Chinese industry, but that doesn't mean they "need" the US for anything.

I kind of lost where I was going there, but suffice to say this: There's a lot of talk about national motives in here that seems to be informed more by Civilization than anything like rational observation.  In the real world, nations don't bide their time in anticipation of the day they can take over the entire Earth landmass by force of arms.

This. Though it was that way a few centuries ago.

[Cthulhu]

As soon as China isn't dependent on the west to sell its goods, I think it will wage war.  But that's my crazy side talking.

Why would China ever want to do that?  They very much enjoy having customers.  Yes, America is the biggest market of Chinese industry, but that doesn't mean they "need" the US for anything.

I kind of lost where I was going there, but suffice to say this: There's a lot of talk about national motives in here that seems to be informed more by Civilization than anything like rational observation.  In the real world, nations don't bide their time in anticipation of the day they can take over the entire Earth landmass by force of arms.

Boring, isn't it?

[Neruz]

As soon as China isn't dependent on the west to sell its goods, I think it will wage war.  But that's my crazy side talking.

Why would China ever want to do that?  They very much enjoy having customers.  Yes, America is the biggest market of Chinese industry, but that doesn't mean they "need" the US for anything.

I kind of lost where I was going there, but suffice to say this: There's a lot of talk about national motives in here that seems to be informed more by Civilization than anything like rational observation.  In the real world, nations don't bide their time in anticipation of the day they can take over the entire Earth landmass by force of arms.

Boring, isn't it?

Indeed.



Also, the Chinese love selling things. The thought of decreasing the size of a potential market to sell things to is anathema to them.