Interesting. Let's hope the war in Iraq finishes as efficiently and effectively as possible. Apparently this is make or break in terms of averting future conflicts.

So shock and awe did have some effect.

Yeah, these foreign countries are shocked that we're actually doing something for a change, and awed when they look at what our military can do.

A great object lesson to the world, and one of the unspoken reasons for taking this approach. The war on Saddam is about much more than Iraq.

Holy crap, did China just pay us a COMPLIMENT? Holy crap!

Hey, maybe we should NUKE Iraq! Then N.K. and other countries would know that we're not afraid to nuke them! That would really be helpful in future conflicts!

Indy, that's not the point.  Nuclear weapons are the tools of a desperate nation.  The lands they touch are ruined for years, so there are no spoils to go to the victor.

Many people see this policy change by the U.S. as a good thing.  For quite some time, many nations have regarded the U.S. as the proverbial paper tiger; we may have had teeth, but our beuracracy and political correctness rendered us impotent.  Whether or not you like the Bush administration, whether or not you believe this war is about liberation, anti-terrorism or just colonialism, one thing is certain: this President and his administration want to re-establish the U.S. as a nation not to be triffled with.

Not being a sociologist or psychologist myself, I still wouldn't be surprised in much of the reaction abroad is in response to that.  It's been over a decade since any other one nation has been as dominate as the U.S.  Many have been either economically or militarily powerless.  But yet they've all had equal voice in the U.N. and all felt like they've had some semblance of power.  With the U.S. asserting itself, many nations - and their peoples - probably feel powerless in the extreme.

I'm undecided as to whether or not I agree with this approach, but I do support the President's decisiveness.  If the overall effect of this is to free the people of Iraq, reduce the number of nations that support terrorism and make the whole the world's oppressive dictators piss their pants, then I'm all for it.

Indy, you forgot salting their fields too. As the anti-war demonstrators point out, we are conducting a genocide, right? Plus, according to your buds at the Balochistan Post, we've already used tactical nukes: http://www.balochistanpost.com/item.asp?ID=3629

"So shock and awe did have some effect"

Yes it was ineffective and worried the Chinese that they have to step in on the North Korea issue

Shock and awe? There was no shock and awe and there won't be, except in the form of psychological warfare.

"If the U.S. quickly finishes this war successfully, the North Koreans will be more cautious in the future."

Couldn't have said it better myself, Zhang my man.

Mind if I toot my horn? I've been posting comments for a couple of months on various blog that if NK ever fired a nike we would not have to retaliate because the PRC would take out NK.

NK is, to the PRC, a trip-wire against possible land invasion, rather like East Europe was between the USSR and West Europe. Any expansion on that role by NK unilaterally would garner the same result as the Hungarian uprising - invasion by the overlords.

That said, when are we going to prosecute the proximate cause of the current trouble with the NK? We promised them two nuclear energy plants in return for concessions, and after eight years only the foundations have been poured. Whatever companies dragged their feet on this have a lot to answer for.

John Anderson: "Mind if I toot my horn? I've been posting comments for a couple of months on various blog that if NK ever fired a nike we would not have to retaliate because the PRC would take out NK."

I'll go a little farther. There is no other country in the region of Iraq that could have been expected to deal with Hussein. None of them had the military power, or the support of the people, or even cared very much what he did as long as he left them alone (and if he didn't, they knew we'd come to the rescue like we did for Kuwait.) In contrast, if you look at NK on a map - there's China right there, Japan, Russia, even India not so far away although they're kind of busy right now. I don't see the need for us to rush over and deal with NK. Let somebody else do it for a change.