Are Trump, Tillerson 'good cop,' 'bad cop' to N Korea?

Keystone, more like.

Doormat and loose cannon.

The time for diplomacy is over. If a military conflict breaks out, the DPRK's military would fold like a cheap suit...

The time for diplomacy is over. If a military conflict breaks out, the DPRK's military would fold like a cheap suit...

Let's clarify here; you don't live in Japan anymore, am I correct?

Corrupt cop / Angry-Grandpa-Baby-Ego-Maniac Cop

This isn't going to end well.......

Could be a good cop show.

Poor Rex. When he says "It's a dirty job, but someone needs to take the trash out", he means taking Trump out for a drive in his police car.

Come to think of it; I see it more like a sci-fi horror now.

Alien V Predator.

God that's frightening to call Tillerson the good cop.

If Trump and Tillerson are cops, they'd be the racist police detectives in Alabama in the 1950s. Trump would tell a rookie to beat a minority senseless for a confession and Tillerson would be against the beating, but still let it happen.

Nope. Trump is mentally impaired and Tillerson is the slightly more abled speaker/translator.

If it involved anyone other than Trump, I'd say the good cop/bad cop routine is what is going on. But having seen what Trump is capable of doing in terms of contradicting and over riding his appointees, I am not confident that it applies here.

Realistically, neither NK nor the U.S. is going to "attack" the other. Nor is NK going to "attack" South Korea or Japan. Both nations are making it clear what they would do if the other starts a war.

BUT- NK has to stop firing its ballistic missiles over Japan or any other country. And the world can not allow NK to carry out a atmospheric nuclear test.

payback time

Without oil, the DPRK military is probably good for 2 weeks, tops. That isn't to say they wouldn't rain hell upon their neighbors, though. If it comes to it, I get the feeling that if the DPRK government is smashed, the people would be orderly enough to respond well to a responsible occupation. I don't think you'd have another Iraq on your hands...

@Vernon Watts

The time for diplomahorrendoucy is over. If a military conflict breaks out, the DPRK's military would fold like a cheap suit...

I admire this absolute confidence of armchair generals. Any particular reason to believe that the NK military quickly fold? Anyway, since "the time for diplomacy is over", I hope you're enlisted and will be first to go to the battle zone, to show us your bravery and oversee the "folding" process.

@CaptDingleheimer

Without oil, the DPRK military is probably good for 2 weeks, tops

First, even two weeks are enough for the NK military to cause horrendous damage. Second, NK military is unlikely to conduct large scale armour operations, it's impossible with US air supremacy, NK will likely resort to much smaller size local operations that are harder to detect and do not require much oil. Third, it is very possible that China more or less openly (it depends on how the hostilities start and other factors) will help NK as it did in 1950. In that case NK will have enough oil.

the people would be orderly enough to respond well to a responsible occupation

And your optimism is based on what? After decades of fervent anti-american indoctrination the Northern populace is very unlikely to welcome invaders (and US / S/Korean troops will be regarded as invaders, whatever the "our bombs will bring you freedom and happiness" rhetoric from Washington and Seoul is).

@capt: Don't underestimate military forces in brain controlled country. Tiny Asian country attacked USA and kept fighting more than two weeks.

And the world can not allow NK to carry out a atmospheric nuclear test.

The "world" is composed mostly of iron (32.1%), oxygen (30.1%), silicon (15.1%), magnesium (13.9%). The world doesn't give a sh@t. About anything. Because its intimate.

I'm not just being snarky here. People talk of 'the world,' and the 'international community' as if there is any such thing.

There isn't.

There are nations, companies, NGO's. The Catholic Church. And only nations have weapons that can stop people like Kim Jung Fat Boy.

When we talk of 'the world' we really mean the US. China. Russia. Japan. India. ROK.

And all these countries do not see eye-to-eye when it comes to North Korea.

That is why we have the problem we have. Boiled down to its simplest expression, China will not ever allow a unified Korea friendly to the US. Never. ( friendly mean US bases)

And the US, and Japan will never allow a unified Korea friendly to China.

In this way, the Cold War never really ended.

Secretary of Defense stated Ike Rex.