I lol every single time I see "North Korea can't handle American Firepower" in this thread and in other places.
Yeah, the US is going to kick Korea's ass and get home by Christmas, just like they did with Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq!
Given that:
A. A war with NK would include more than the US.
B. Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq actually had functioning governments.
C. The previous nations had a known loyalist population (Granted, NK might as well, but we don't know for certain how much of the population follows Kim-Jong Il's personality cult just to stay alive and how many buy into it).
I'd say that the idea that North Korea will quicky crumble isn't as presumptous as it would be otherwise.
Well, with Afghanistan, and Iraq, its not that we're still fighting a war there. Both invasions were over rather quickly. Whats taking time, is building up and rebuilding a barely functional civilian preindustrial infrastructure, to post industrial standards. On top of that, is also supporting the new government that has formed since then, making sure it doesn't fall to outside forces from noting being able to assert its own fledging sovereignty.
That takes years. Decades. Israel, is still somewhat dependent on US and UK aid after its foundation over half a century ago.
When the US was forming, we had ample support from the French for almost a hundred years before we were really standing on our own two feet. And it wasn't until WW1 where we could stand quite independently as a nation, this was then solidified in WW2.
As for Vietnam War, well. There were a lot more things going there, which is what it last some 20+ years. Conquering the Vetcong(sp) wasn't exactly the goal. The goal was to stop the spread of Communism, and promote democracy. Then there the fact that the Vetcong tactics work quite well against conventional military. Then there is the fact that they were receiving aid from larger red states ect ect ect.
The comparisons here, aren't fair to a possible another police action with Korea. What will probably happen will be repeat of the last war.
We fight them until an armistice is reached and stop being aggressive.