Macarthur nukes and invades China, KMT reaction?

Yeah, you know Stalin was planning something when the Soviet delegation was absent during the UN vote to intercede in Korea.

ric350

There are differing theories about that, but the one that sounds most plausible to me is that the Soviets were boycotting the vote as a protest, and thought that their absence would be enough to deny the resolution unanimous consent.

IOW the Soviets figured that "unanimous" meant all the members of the SC had to vote yes. But the rest of the members decided that "unanimous" just meant all the ones who were present had to vote yes.
 
If that's the case, why have they been getting along so much better with each other since 1993 than with the US?
Because the ideological element has been removed, and the balance of power has so shifted in China's favor they don't think they need to use force. Russia continues to supply China with energy, and military technology. The border areas are under Chinese economic domination, and the Chinese are just settling in the towns of the region. The Russian population density is lower then in the State of Wyoming. China could just walk in anytime they want to, and there would be nothing Russia could do about it.

Russia is running a bluff, that if anyone crosses their borders they would immediately use nuclear weapons. That's a cry of weakness, saying they can't defend themselves with conventional forces, but it's a bluff, because using nuclear weapons to defend lost territory would be suicidal. So the relationship continues with China in the dominate role, and setting the terms. Russia is a declining power, that poses no threat to Chinese interests.

China's power relationship with the U.S. is very different, it's more reciprocal. The U.S. is still militarily, and technologically superior, and China is surrounded by U.S. Allies. China sees the U.S. as a threat to it's ambitions, but it needs to have friendly economic relations. So with Russia removed as a threat the Chinese can concentrate on building up their naval, and airpower, while using their now smaller, but better trained, and equipped army to face India, and Vietnam, while still threatening a plausible combined arms invasion of Taiwan.
 
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One other thing. At the time, any US discussion of using nukes or going north of the Yalu, would be cleared with the British. That would result in one or more of the Cambridge 5 passing that info to Stalin long before anything operational was done, (allegedly it was information from the Cambridge spies that had Stalin green light the NK attack in the first place). What Stalin would do with information would be an interesting chess move.

ric350
 
One other thing. At the time, any US discussion of using nukes or going north of the Yalu, would be cleared with the British. That would result in one or more of the Cambridge 5 passing that info to Stalin long before anything operational was done, (allegedly it was information from the Cambridge spies that had Stalin green light the NK attack in the first place). What Stalin would do with information would be an interesting chess move.

ric350
Going North of the Yalu was a military impossibility. The British would never support using nukes against China, because Hong Kong was held hostage. Stalin wouldn't mind a nuclear attack on China. It would draw China closer to the Soviet Union, and badly damage America's image around the world. Using the Bomb against Asians in two wars, in less then 10 years would be fodder for Communist propaganda. Racist America, oppressing Blacks at home, and slaughtering Yellow People 8,000 miles away.
 
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