North Korean Threat

As you can see, all over the news, is the threat that North Korea poses to the world. How real is this threat? Keep in mind their geographic location. As a comparison that I can make; consider Iraq. At the time of Desert Storm in '91, they were considered the 8th strongest army in the world. But they were not considered a nuclear threat. This army would be beaten by ground and air forces in a straight up war. They thought, just as North Korea thinks, that their military is first rate and unbeatable. It is not first rate, nor unbeatable by any means. U.S. forces beat the entire Iraqi army in THREE DAYS! It wasn't even close. How do I know? I was there. Of course, we lost lots of good people in the mop up actions and occupation time. That is when it's the most dangerous. Door-to-door fighting is the very worst, but it has to be done. Their outdated tanks, though many, were sadly outmatched. They had no Air Force to speak of, and neither does North Korea. The biggest threat their army posed was chemical weapons. That's bad enough, but it's not as bad as a nuclear threat, of course. The Iraqi's had lost so quickly and so decisively that they couldn't believe it for months. The superior weapons and technical know-how of the U.S. forces were something they were not really prepared for. At that time, their leaders actually believed that their "well-trained" troops and their "elite guards" were more than a match for American troops. It was amazing to see what it did to their mental attitude to see our Marines and Army troops go through them like nothing. And their Air Force was only target practice for U.S. planes that outclassed them badly in both superior weaponry and skill. They started to give up in droves, mostly due to the fact that they were in shock. Overall, their command infrastructure collapsed, and they had no leadership. Ir wouldn't have helped much.
But still, with North Korea, the biggest threat is not their army, and certainly not their Air Force. It's that looming possibility that they will destroy thousands, if not millions, of people around them, by using their nuclear weapons to "save themselves". So, let's say it like it is. The only reason they have not been "put in the their place" by now, is that no normal sane person or government "wants" to put into harms way thousands of people just for the sake of "showing their illustrious power". If they had no nuclear threat, they have nothing! The U.S. does not need to send a large army to North Korea. We can destroy the entire country in days by air power.  Everybody who has a brain can see this. The question is; will our "allies" who are directly threatened by North Korea assume a fighting role if it comes to that. Many countries are in peril in that area; South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and numerous others. The answer isn't obvious, tho it should be. If North Korea launches an actual nuclear missile at anyone, then the game changes to preservation. They truly believe that the world is afraid of their power. The world isn't afraid of North Korea; the world is afraid of just how crazy they are willing to be! There is no doubt in anyone's mind (except them, of course) that the U.S. military would have very little trouble with their troops. They are good at marching, and looking the part. But they do not have the training they really need to fight someone like us. It has been proven through many wars that many enemies fight with only a "tunnel-vision" type attitude. They fight conventionally, their way, and are not really flexible, and cannot deviate easily from their training. The largest U.S. advantage in any war is exactly it's flexibility and ease in adapting to whatever is needed in a specific situation. Amereicans always do unexpected things in unexpected ways. They cannot understand this type of thinking. Example: If you put a roadblock in front of North Korea's army, they will try, with everything they have, to knock down the roadblock. U.S. troops will look at the roadblock, ask, do we really need to knock it down, or just go around it? What am I saying in a nutshell? That once you take away their specific goal, or stop their specific plan, they are pretty much done, because they can't get their mind going in another direction. They are not trained that way. Even the Japanese Navy and Air Force are more than a match for them as they stand now. Japan admitted the fact before that, after the old war was over, they must change their thinking and adapt, and they have been doing that since.
As the old saying goes, we could easily change North Korea into a "Wal-Mart parking lot". But at what cost? That is the question concerning everyone all over the world. What will it take? It is not a matter of how "mighty" they are militarily. It is a question of, if they are pushed too far, will they be crazy enough to kill hundreds or thousands for the sake of their pride. In my opinion, it's going to happen sooner or later. I don't see them changing any time soon. It may also get to the point that their only real allies, Russia and China, will turn a blind eye to them too. When it comes, and I think it will soon, then North Korea will no longer consider Russia or China as a friend, but just another target. That may be just exactly what it takes to get this situation over with. Neither Russia nor China "want" to turn away from them, but they may be forced to. They are both powers that are trying to grow and prosper, and the world's opinion means a lot to them. They do not want to be embarrassed and shunned by society. They may see it that being attached to North Korea is no more than an anchor weighing them down.
So, here we sit, Trump in office trying to do his best to start a war. And, truthfully, it may come down to that. Japan is already set to defend itself if need be. The U.S. is always ready when called upon. China and Russia trying desperately to stay out of it, but they can't. The U.N. has no power. It doesn't look good, does it?
Will the people of the world EVER learn to get along with each other? Does there always have to be someone who wants to "rule the world"? Is there always going to be hate and mistrust for people who are different than you? So far, throughout history, the answers to these questions are; No. Yes. Yes.