Any other predictions on the short term engagement?

Personally, I think they will launch whatever scuds/other missles they have at US forces in Kuwait, and Israel with whatever VX they have available. This will certainly illicit an Israeli response, which will only further rile the rest of the arab world. It will of course illicit the US response, which will be to mow down all Iraqi forces on the way to Baghdad.

When we get to Baghdad, I expect that we will find very flimsy defense, and penetrate deep into the city fairly easily. Once we are committed deeply into the urban landscape of Baghdad, that is when I would expect the best trained and equipped Republican Guards to show themselves and engage US forces much more fiercly than we have ever seen, mainly because the close proximity and the enemies previous knowledge of the landscape will negate whatever technological advantages we have.

The Republican Guard will likely engage US forces so close as to make effective air support impossible for fear of hitting our own troops. Once the spearhead is engaged and temporarily immobilized, they will call for reinforcements, which will arrive and balloon US presence within the city within 48 hours of initial engagement. As our presence expands, and are stalled in street fighting, that is likely when Saddam will let loose with whatever chem/bio/nuclear weapons he has, in an attempt to kill as many US/Iraqi civilians as possible.

Also, about the time we are starting to find out that this isnt the war we thought it was going to be, I expect North Korea to do something really stupid (stupid unless they have backing from China, in which case it will get very very nasty)...

I expect NK to do something very overt and confrontational. Depending on the circumstances, and just how good or bad things are going for us, it could be anything from openly violating the DMZ to launching a gas/nuke strike on Seoul.

In any event, I see NK getting really provocative, maybe in the hopes that we will be too involved in the mid east to do anything to stop them.

if iraq makes any move, it will be tomorrow. i they do, they will go all out. they will likely slag kuwait. or attempt it. i don't know of the defence capabilites of any of the bases setup in kuwait now, but they'll be headed north for the winter before long.

i belive that will also be the time, the beggining of this, by the weekend mind you, for north korea to make any move if they do. i have come to concur with your idea that north korea will try to first strike the self, taking the US up on it's bluff of a two front war. with most of our forces dedicated to the mid-east, korea is without reinforcements, and if iraq ends up being a sustained crusade, then we will need a draft. then we will use a draft, bring a bunch of hippies out of retirement, and end up suspect to invasion from canadians!

Did.....did you say invasion from the Canadiens??

Did.....did you say invasion from the Canadiens Posted by Proud American

Possibly... but their only target would likely be Key West, to shake the frost off... I would imagine that the Florida Highway Patrol would probably not have a problem sending the best of the Canadien elite forces home with their tails between their legs...

i'll get out my heated blankets, and assault rifles. i'm border defence for any quacker invasion! i don't think we have much to fear from the canadians other than massive migratory fleets of chili-filled mallards.

Besides, they couldnt survive on our beer in the south... its real beer, too much for those guys!!!!! They would have to go somewhere that serves beer that resembles water down turkey urine...

I didnt sugest we would be invaded by the Canadiens, I was replying to PC's post. PC, you suggested we could be invaded by the Canadiens, were you kidding?

i'm as serious as france! i really belive that canada is going to invade! really!



but if you believed that i should take up blackmail as a new career.

Phoenix...We will not have to worry about North Korea Invading the south. China would never allow it. This whole nuclear "Stand Off" we are having with North Korea is just the way they do Diplomacy. They have violated the armistace agreement on countless occasion just to get what they want. We have to pay the NK government Millions of dollars just to get remain from MIAs back.
I'm sure we have known that the NK has had a nuclear program and they already have nuclear devices. There were many defections in the ninties by high ranking government officials and each one said that NK is in possesion of nuclear weapons. And they will never Nuke Seoul they may Gas Yoseung and other military bases located in the capital. The NK are going to want to preserve as much SK infrastructure as they can.
The PRC will not allow NK to invade the south. There may be some minor confortation but nothing that will hopefully not start a war on the peninsula.

Phoenix...We will not have to worry about North Korea Invading the south. China would never allow it. Posted by WB

IF NK was not getting support from China, this would be true. However, evidence suggests that NK may well be acting as a front for China. That would likely be the only reason that NK is taking a stand of one upsmanship against the US, which would be suicidal for NK if China were not backing them.

Indeed, there is evidence pointing to the Chinese possibly having shot down the space shuttle with scalar weapons as a warning against the US waging this coming war. China is a known master manipulator, and as long as they can manipulate outside parties to meet thier ends without directly exposing Beijing, they will certainly do so, without regards of the outcome to those they manipulate.

I DO believe that NK will attempt to incite the US into a two front war, but if this does come to pass, it will likely be far more than the NK army we have to deal with...

I don't Trust China as far as I can throw her. But don't you think they have to much to lose economically if NK were to invade the South. It will not matter if the chinese were playing behind the scene or not we would still hold them responsible. They would lose their trading status with us. The Chinese government is greedier than our government. There is only so much that the our government can take. Even if the Chinese shot down the shuttle(which is the first I've heard of that please post a link if you have one)....I don't think our government would take to kindly to losing almost all of the 37,000 US service men and women on the peninsula and then take into account their families. If NK invades the south the PRC will be held accountable and one of the places they will feel it is in their pockets

Here is my prediction......

1 - You will see mass surrender like the first Gulf War

2 - No WMD will be used.

3 - The whole thing is over in side of a week.

4 - Saddam mysteriously dissapears and turns up in France 3 weeks later. The French hail him as a hero and he is paraded around the Arc de Triomphe.

Ok, #4 is a little crazy but I beleive that 1 - 3 really will happen.

I agree Jm, its will be the greatest non event we have seen in along time....

It would be great if it did turn out to be a non event... however, I seriously doubt that it will be that easy... I believe we are going in with way too cavalier of an attitude... Consider that Saddam got his @ss kicked severly 12 years ago, but he took notes as it was happening.. and he has had 12 years to come up with new ideas.

Also, even if Iraq is over within a week, that wont be the end. It is still within our strategy to proceed onward into Iran, Syria, and eventually into Saudi Arabia....

You may be right DragonRider, but I have a feeling this won't last long.

Some of his guys tried to surrender already and the war hasn't even started yet...