So, what are we going to do about North Korea?

Well, we could issue bombastic threats,,,,well, the President already has tried that. We will see how that works. I suspect that while strong talk is emotionally satisfying to some, that NK won't just hand over their nukes. It might, in fact actually goad an unstable regimeinto a reckless act.

Sanctions? Meh.  80% of NK trade is with China. So, getting China to go along with that is key. And I don't think that China is scared of us. China is going to want something in return for their help. And what they are going to expect is that the US acquiesce to the South China Sea becoming a Chinese lake.

We could preemptively obliterate NK with nukes, and become an international pariah, and the murderers of millions. Transforming ourselves into the rogue state that we supposedly abhor.

We could attack NK with conventional forces, and cause the deaths of American soldiers and tens of thousands of South Koreans. Of course China step in if it looked like the NK government was going to fall.

We could offer NK something they want in order to get them to give up their nukes. Of course, that presumes that there is something that NK wants more than its nukes. I don't know that there is anything they want more than their nukes.

We could accept the reality that NK is a nuclear state, and focus on working with regional allies on deterrence.
Deterrence kept the peace with the Soviet Union, and China.

Last edited by Goose (8/11/2017 7:07 am)