Setting the stage for hardball with North Korea. We're focused on Iraq and Iran right now but the DPRK is on the radar. The big difference here is China. They have considerable influence over North Korea and no solution is possible without them. They will not abide a unified, nuclear, democratic Korea on their border. On the other hand, Kim is a pain in the ass. He's always threatening and making demands. He is a master of brinkmanship and possibly a little unstable. China also wants to avoid a collapse of the North which would lead to a flood of refugees across the border. Many times more than they can handle. I think the US is going to have to keep the DPRK issue on the back burner until the Iraq and Iran situations are sorted out (not to mention Afghanistan).

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