Poll shows Americans are obsessed with North Korea, overstate its threat

[cali]

<snip>

The same Pew poll found that 47 percent of Americans think that North Korea is capable of launching a nuclear missile that can hit the United States, which is false. (Another 10 percent said they don’t know, meaning that more Americans believe North Korea is capable of such an attack than those who do not.) Oddly, that statistic is exactly the same for people who say they are paying close attention to the story and those who are not. Reading lots of news about North Korea does not seem to be helping Americans understand one of the most important issues about that country’s potential threat to the United States.

To be as clear as possible, then, North Korea does not currently have a demonstrated capability to strike the United States with a nuclear missile. First of all, it has no missiles that have a demonstrated capability to reach that far. Secondly, even if it did, the country’s nuclear program is not advanced enough to “miniaturize” a warhead, to make it small enough that it can be placed on a missile.

Pew also found that 47 percent of Americans believe North Korea’s leadership is willing to follow through on its threat to launch a nuclear missile at the United States. That number actually goes way up among people who say they are paying close attention to the story: 59 percent of those believe the Kim Jong Un regime is willing to attack the United States with a nuclear missile.

The question of the Kim regime’s willingness is obviously more complicated and less knowable, but it’s worth noting that virtually all North Korea analysts believe that the country has no intent of following through on its threats. Theories for North Korea’s rhetoric vary — some say Kim is seeking concessions from the West, others that he’s working to rally his own military’s support — but you will be very hard pressed to find a North Korea analyst who shares the view of 59 percent of Americans that North Korea is willing to launch a nuclear warhead at America.

<snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/04/11/poll-shows-americans-are-obsessed-with-north-korea-overstate-its-threat/

[BlueJazz]

1. So half of the American populace think North Korea's missiles can hit the USA ?

I can't stand it much longer..

[Tarheel_Dem]

2. I think this statement, in particular, is being revised according to NPR.

"Secondly, even if it did, the country’s nuclear program is not advanced enough to “miniaturize” a warhead, to make it small enough that it can be placed on a missile."

It's the 5:00 hour, here on the East Coast, and I just heard the exact opposite of this assertion, on NPR. They're talking about N. & S. Korea as I type.

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. The reason is simple. The news is brought to you by the people who also build bombs.

In fact, media is a marketing arm of the businesses who profit from war.

[cali]

4. well, I've done a fair amount of reading on it and everything I've

read states clearly that NK doesn't have this capability. And in the poll info they state that the media has explained this.

[TwilightGardener]

7. They probably have the capability, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency, to

put a nuke warhead on a missile--what is doubtful is accuracy and range. They probably aren't able to hit mainland US.

[arely staircase]

13. yeah, anyone who reads a major daily newspaper on a regular basis

should know the N. Koreans can't hit the U.S. Or really the yahoo top stories over the past decade would tell you that much.

[Bonhomme Richard]

5. Poll finds that half of the American population is clinically paranoid. n/t

[sendero]

6. Laughable...

.. I'm more concerned that NK will pull a Barney Fife and shoot itself in the foot with it's own gun.

But my primary concern is that we STOP REWARDING NK with goodies every time they throw a toddler temper tantrum. Threatening nukes is crossing the line. Fuck them running.

[zappaman]

8. Great post!

Too bad the DUers who need to see it most, won't.

[One_Life_To_Give]

9. Add to Guns, Defecit and Cognitive Development

as things google returns for Americans Obsessed with

Amazingly neither american idol, britney nor paris are on the first page.

[Cleita]

10. I'm not surprised.

For the casual radio listener and TV watcher, all you get is North Korea sound bites spread over the media 24/7. It starts to seem more important than anything else going on. It's the same propaganda technique used by advertisers to get you to buy their product even though there might be another one out there that is better and less expensive.

[Rex]

11. Too many chicken littles and boys that cry wolf imo.

nt.

[zappaman]

12. Very true