Very true. It is scary. It's scary to think there is a country in this world that could pretty much annihilate anything over hurt pride and as a show of force, on a whim. That day re-revealed this. Not that it was ever really hidded.

I think the vibe from smaller countries at the time was very much "who needs enemies when this is what these gyus are like". It also showed what people really think, my country tends to be very US friendly thanks to all sorts of propaganda, but on this day and after it the mood was mostly "what will the arrogant unhinged and self-assigned world cops do now". It was perfectly clear to everyone that this insult on US hegemony was a huge deal, not the lives lost. Up until this point they thought they were untouchable, never any real skin in the game.