Crazy But Not Stupid -- We Hope

North Korea does its best to alarm the South, but it’s not as bad as it seems. Read:

North Korea said it will sever all ties with South Korea and expel the South’s workers from a joint industrial zone as “punishment” for accusing it of sinking a warship and killing 46 South Korean sailors.

“There is no need to show any mercy or patience for such confrontation maniacs,” the official Korean Central News Agency reported late yesterday, citing the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea. North Korea will “abrogate the agreement on non-aggression” and handle all issues with South Korea under wartime law, the group said.

North Korea will cut off all communication links, ban passage of South Korean ships and airlines through its territories and resume propaganda broadcasts across the border, KCNA said. The communist country earlier yesterday warned of military action in the disputed maritime area off the peninsula’s west coast after accusing the South of violating its territory in the zone.

North Korea probably doesn’t have enough fuel to fight for more than a few days, after which their tanks will simply stop. Certainly, the Norks could do some serious damage to the South, but the final outcome would never be doubt — not even to the Dear Leader. Best case scenario – if the North really does look ready to strike, Chinese paratroops land in Pyongyang and install a puppet.

But the real chances of war: Very slim.