Kim Jong-un is a junkyard dog. But - he is a well-armed junkyard dog - and he will become even more dangerous as time passes.
Any major military action against North Korea is a death sentence for tens of millions of more or less innocent Koreans - on both sides of the 38th Parallel.
The obvious preferred outcome is no massive loss of life on the Korean peninsula, as well as no North Korean projection of destructive military power into other sovereign national territories.
OK - if that last paragraph/sentence is accurate, then the United States HAS to change its approach. We cannot defeat a junkyard dog that has dangerous, project-able, destructive power by cutting off its food, its water, backing it into a corner, and now trying to move in on it. With nothing more to lose, the junkyard dog is eventually going to bite - attack.
Tens of millions of dead Koreans (and thousands of dead US 8th Army soldiers) aren't going to care a whole lot or derive much satisfaction from the fact that "Fatboy threw the first punch, so we were justified in leveling North Korea" - just a little bit too late to save South Korea.
So - what is the answer? As strange as it sounds, the correct answer is: discontinue all sanctions against North Korea, start buying minerals and other products from them at healthy prices, and do our best to improve the lives of North Koreans. Feed the junkyard dog, give him shelter, and comfort, and go find more malleable crises to pursue elsewhere.
North Korea won the long game. We cannot undo that. So - that is not our circus, and those are not our monkeys - and we should leave the junkyard dog to rule his turf - and maybe throw him a few bones to keep him from looking for trouble elsewhere.
Again, there are ultimately just two choices: have a horrible war, that rains misery upon tens of millions of Koreans - or roll over, accept reality, and walk away - perhaps trying to lessen the junkyard dog's anxiety and discomfort, so as to ensure continued stability on the Korean peninsula.
Any major military action against North Korea is a death sentence for tens of millions of more or less innocent Koreans - on both sides of the 38th Parallel.
The obvious preferred outcome is no massive loss of life on the Korean peninsula, as well as no North Korean projection of destructive military power into other sovereign national territories.
OK - if that last paragraph/sentence is accurate, then the United States HAS to change its approach. We cannot defeat a junkyard dog that has dangerous, project-able, destructive power by cutting off its food, its water, backing it into a corner, and now trying to move in on it. With nothing more to lose, the junkyard dog is eventually going to bite - attack.
Tens of millions of dead Koreans (and thousands of dead US 8th Army soldiers) aren't going to care a whole lot or derive much satisfaction from the fact that "Fatboy threw the first punch, so we were justified in leveling North Korea" - just a little bit too late to save South Korea.
So - what is the answer? As strange as it sounds, the correct answer is: discontinue all sanctions against North Korea, start buying minerals and other products from them at healthy prices, and do our best to improve the lives of North Koreans. Feed the junkyard dog, give him shelter, and comfort, and go find more malleable crises to pursue elsewhere.
North Korea won the long game. We cannot undo that. So - that is not our circus, and those are not our monkeys - and we should leave the junkyard dog to rule his turf - and maybe throw him a few bones to keep him from looking for trouble elsewhere.
Again, there are ultimately just two choices: have a horrible war, that rains misery upon tens of millions of Koreans - or roll over, accept reality, and walk away - perhaps trying to lessen the junkyard dog's anxiety and discomfort, so as to ensure continued stability on the Korean peninsula.
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