Is The Korean Peninsula About To Face An Arms Race?

In his speech at the party congress, Kim mentioned nuclear weapons no fewer than 36 times 

DW: Korean Peninsula: Nuclear weapons plans trigger arms race fears 

Calls grow for the South Korean government to step up its defenses after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced plans for advanced new weapons systems. 

South Korea has confirmed that it is considering developing a nuclear-powered submarine after Kim Jong Un declared at the recent Workers' Party Congress in North Korea that he would "advance national reunification through a strong military power" — and boasted of deploying hypersonic missiles, spy satellites, multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missiles and the North's own nuclear-powered submarine. 

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WNU Editor: The rhetoric from North Korea is not comforting .... North Korea ends party meeting with calls for nuclear might (AP).

Can North Korean Kim Jong-Un Maintain His Grip On Power

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is dealing with a coronavirus pandemic, "disastrous meteorological phenomena" and a closed border with China.(Korean Central News Agency via Reuters)

Debra Killalea, ABC News Online: Kim Jong-un is dealing with coronavirus and a string of natural disasters. Can he maintain his grip on power?

It has battled typhoons, a storm, flooding, a coronavirus lockdown, and now North Korea faces a new challenge: to rebuild and harvest its crops before winter hits.

The country says it has been hit hard by "disastrous meteorological phenomena" this summer, with heavy rains and typhoons bringing the second-highest rainfall in 25 years.

For a nation that lives harvest to harvest, damage to rice crops can be a calamity.

Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have starved to death when a series of natural disasters and economic issues hit the country in the 1990s.

North Korea's then leader Kim Jong-il managed to maintain his power during the period known as the Arduous March by blaming the famine on external forces.

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WNU Editor: As long as the security services support him (and they do), he will continue to maintain his grip on power.

What Is Happening In North Korea?

Bloomberg: Kim Jong Un’s Regime Baffles World With Contradictory Signals

(Bloomberg) -- What’s going on with Kim Jong Un? Is he sick? Worried about Covid-19? Consumed by an economic crisis? Battling internal threats?

Perhaps the North Korean leader is biding his time until the U.S. presidential election? Or maybe he’s playing the same game of threats, reconciliation and retreat that has kept his family in charge of the secretive state since the 1940s?

All those scenarios have been floated to explain months of surprises and intrigue from Pyongyang, including stubborn -- but so-far-unsubstantiated -- rumors that the 36-year-old leader is unwell. The developments have underscored how little the world knows about North Korea, and left even many professional observers questioning how they go about interpreting Kim’s actions.

“We need to check our assumptions about the leadership,” said Soo Kim, a Rand Corp. policy analyst who previously worked at the Central Intelligence Agency. “Perhaps we are imposing our own expectations and habitual knowledge about the North Korean regime on the current situation. And if these expectations are false, then we risk drawing faulty or erroneous conclusions about the regime.”

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WNU Editor: The above article says the Kim Jung-un regime is giving the world contradictory signals. I disagree. What I see is a regime that is focused on its internal problems, namely economic and limiting the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. The pandemic has shaken every country in the world, including North Korea. Summits with South Korean leaders or President Trump are not possible now, so pursuing a diplomatic course of action makes no sense at the present time. What makes sense for Kim Jung-un is to consolidate his power, which he has done, and to trust the people that he has placed in positions of authority to do their jobs during this global crisis.

North Korea Believes It Can Win A Second War

North Korean special forces, armed with modified AK rifles fitted with what are believed to be high-capacity magazines, parade through Pyongyang. Photo: AFP

Andrew Salmon, Asia Times: Nightmare scenarios: How Korean War 2 could ignite

Resumption of the 1950-53 conflict is more likely by accident than design - but North Korea believes it can win

Thursday, June 25, 2020, marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of one of the world’s cruelest and deadliest post-war conflicts, the Korean War.

In South Korea, there were no parades and little flag waving, for June 25 is a tragic date that does not merit celebration. It marks the 1950 North Korean invasion that initiated a vortex of carnage which would suck in troops from across the world, including the US and China, and leave the peninsula scattered with perhaps two million corpses

Today,147 sets of South Korean war remains returned from DNA testing at a US base in Hawaii to a ceremony attended by President Moon Jae-in. Veterans visited cemeteries, and museums held special exhibitions.

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WNU Editor: The North Koreans are not the only ones who believe they can decisively win the next war. One of the most disturbing trends that I have seen in the past five years is the belief among many in China's elite that they can win in a war against the U.S.. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Is North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Making A Mistake?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the 5th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). KCNA via REUTERS

Gordon G. Chang, National Interest: Did North Korea Just Make a Grave Mistake?

Pyongyang, no doubt, is entering into a far more assertive phase. Given the overall situation, that would undoubtedly be a grave mistake for the regime. When regimes make grave mistakes, something must be wrong internally.

North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un late last month promised to “shift to a shocking actual action”; hinted he would no longer honor a “commitment” to a testing moratorium; and “confirmed that the world will witness a new strategic weapon.” There was also a reference to “the ultra-modern weapon system.”

Kim’s threats were delivered during the four-day 5th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party, which ended December 31.

Pyongyang, no doubt, is entering into a far more assertive phase. Given the overall situation, that would undoubtedly be a grave mistake for the regime. When regimes make grave mistakes, something must be wrong internally.

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WNU Editor: Gordon G. Chang is right that expectations of a better life is now the state of mind for most North Koreans. The country is no longer a "closed country". North Koreans know how their neighbours are living, and they want the same thing. Failure to meet these expectations will result in a backlash against Kim Jong Un, starting within his inner circle and among the cadres within the Party.

Is North Korea's Possession Of A Nuclear Arsenal Permanent?

© KCNA / Reuters

Denny Roy, Japan Times: North Korea goes permanently nuclear — does it matter?

North Korea’s possession of an arsenal of nuclear-armed missiles increasingly looks permanent. The U.S. government will continue to refuse to officially recognize this reality, mostly out of deference to Tokyo. However, the region has settled into a new status quo.

Pyongyang’s apparent strategy is to indefinitely delay substantial steps toward denuclearization while trying to coax disproportionate concessions from the United States. Fortunately, the emergence of a nuclear North Korea has not proved catastrophic. Most of the serious anticipated dangers have not come to pass.

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WNU Editor:  North Korea has made it very clear since their first nuclear test that they were not going to give up their nuclear arsenal. And unless there are any major changes in North Korea (which I doubt), this is going to be the fact for a very long time. The focus has to be on engagement and mutual compromises. I see this as a long term affair, and patience is going to be required.

Can America Accept A Nuclear North Korea

Reuters

James Holmes, National Interest: Can America Live with a Nuclear North Korea?

Question: Can America live with an atomic North Korea, and could any presidential administration openly admit it can? The answer: Yes it can, and no it couldn’t.

A friend asks: can America live with an atomic North Korea, and could any presidential administration openly admit it can? Yes it can, and no it couldn’t. The Trump administration and its successors can live with a North Korean doomsday arsenal because living with it represents the least bad option at hand. Military action is the other apparent alternative to the administration’s “ maximum pressure ” strategy of stifling the North into compliance through diplomacy and UN-approved economic sanctions . Yet the hazards, costs, and sheer uncertainty of war abound. Few presidents would embrace armed force barring an unambiguous and egregious provocation from Kim Jong-Un & Co.

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WNU editor: The focus should not only be on America living (or not living) with a nuclear North Korea .... the focus should also be on South Korea/Japan/etc., and can they live with a North Korea. My answer is no.

A Pessimistic Forecast On What Would Happen If The Korean Peace And Reconciliation Talks Fail

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Reuters

Col. David Maxwell, US Army (Ret.), Task & Purpose: A Pessimistic Forecast Of How The North Korea Situation Plays Out in the Coming Years

Here is my most pessimistic assessment of what comes next. I, of course, want to be wrong and if people who have influence can make sure this does not happen I will be very happy to be chastised for having Moriarty’s “negative waves.”

I think the post-summit scenario looks like this:

The Republic of Korea and North Korea are going to work for a peace declaration. They will eventually have a peace treaty because after all this was/is a Korean civil war and the north was the attacker and the north and South were the belligerents. This will require a change to both country’s constitutions to formally recognize the existence of the other country since both claim the entire peninsula and the entire population. They are then going to embark on the confederal reunification process that both Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un desire. (This is, of course, very dangerous for the ROK and the Korean people).

Trump’s suspension of the exercises is meant to drive Kim to take substantive action. He is making a major concession to “test” Kim. Either Kim is going to live up to the agreements or we are back to 2017.

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WNU Editor: The people in South Korea have expectations on what comes next, but this pales to the expectations that the people in North Korea now have. Kim Jong-un has raised these expectations, and he must deliver. Failure is not an option for him if all of this goes south.

North Koreans Are In 'The Dark' In Understanding How Really Poor They Are

Servicepersons of the Ministry of People's Security met on August 10, 2017 to express full support for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) government statement. Reuters/KCNA

Business Insider: North Koreans understand their government lies, but there's one thing they don't know, according to a defector

North Korean defector Kim Young-il is the 39-year-old founder of People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE). He escaped North Korea at 19 years old.
Kim said that it is obvious to North Koreans that the government of Kim Jong Un is lying to the people about the country's situation and its reality.
The one thing it is impossible for North Koreans to understand, however, is how big the difference in prosperity is between their country and developed nations like the US and South Korea.

North Koreans understand that their government regularly lies to them and feeds them propaganda that contradicts their current situation, but few understand the true discrepancy between their country and the outside world, according to North Korean defector Kim Young-il.

Kim, the 39-year-old founder of People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE), escaped North Korea when he was 19 years old. PSCORE is a nonprofit that promotes reunification, raises awareness about human rights issues in North Korea, and helps defectors adjust to life in South Korea.

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WNU Editor: Sadly .... there is a lot of truth to this. When I came back home from all of my travels abroad none of my friends (and many in my family) did not believe me when I described the consumer goods that were available in the West. What I was always struck by was how supermarkets packaged their good .... plastic wrapping was an unknown idea in the Soviet Union when I was growing up. And while everyone in the Soviet Union saw the brand new American cars and consumer goods in photographs/news reports/and films .... it is not the same when you experience it first hand and in your face. It was when Western consumer goods started to come into the Soviet Union that it started to hit home on how poor everyone was, and whatever legitimacy the Soviet Union and the Communist government had at that time started to disappear. My prediction .... this is what is going to happen in North Korea, and it will be impossible to stop when it starts.

Will U.S. Economic Aid To North Korea Be A Threat To Kim Jong-un's Regime?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a cosmetics factory in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on October 28, 2017. KCNA/via Reuters

WNU editor: An interesting analysis .... Analysis: North Korea sees US economic handouts as threat (Eric Talmadge, AP). I know in the Soviet Union when they permitted small businesses to open and operate .... the impact of Western goods, culture, and behavior .... I would say that the mindset of millions of Soviets on the Soviet system changed within a year or two. And when the Communists tried to take power back in October 1992, the strongest opponents to them came from this small but growing entrepreneur class. As for North Korea .... I agree with what Stephen Green at Instapundit is saying ....

.... Even if he kept his nukes, Kim can’t afford to allow the political, economic, and (most importantly) cultural contamination hordes of Western businessmen would bring.

Yup! It is this possible culture change that North Korea's apparatchik class fears the most.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Observations On North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un's Trip To China

James Griffiths, CNN: Why would Kim Jong Un make a secret trip to China?

Hong Kong (CNN)A surprise visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to China may indicate Pyongyang's need for support from its closest ally ahead of upcoming summits with South Korea and the US.

Observers say it would be highly unusual for Kim to meet US President Donald Trump without seeing Chinese President Xi Jinping first. Kim has never met a foreign leader since he took power in 2011, yet China is North Korea's number one trading and economic partner, and is Pyongyang's only major military ally.

The circumstances surrounding the North Korean leader's apparent trip to Beijing are murky, including which side initiated talks and what was discussed. Neither China nor North Korea have confirmed the trip, but an official with deep knowledge of North Korea told CNN that there was a strong possibility that Kim was in the Chinese capital.

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WNU Editor: China - North Korean relations have been rock-bottom for the past few years .... this is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's way of making amends before he meets South Korean President Moon in the next few weeks, and (maybe) President Trump in May. He is also there to assess the level of Chinese support for his position .... especially if the talks fail.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Observations On North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un's Trip To China

Kim Jong Un May Be in China. What Does That Mean for Trump? -- Gordon G. Chang, National Interest
Analysis: NKorean visit shows China still has role to play -- Washington Post
Here's What a Kim Jong Un Visit to Beijing Would Mean for the U.S. -- Charlie Campbell, Time
Why would Kim Jong Un catch a mystery train to China? -- CBS News
Kim Jong-un Makes his First Pilgrimage to China—Maybe -- Doug Bandow, National Interest
China's censors, investors swoop as Kim rumours rage -- AFP
What Kim Jong-un May Get in Reaching Out to China -- New York Times
High profile visit from North Korea likely aimed to reaffirm ties with China -- Jennie Oh, UPI
Where Is Kim Jong Un? North Korean Leader in Beijing, Reports Say -- Newsweek
How a North Korean visit to China raises the stakes for the Kim-Trump summit -- The Telegraph
Mystery train departs Beijing with no official word on whether Kim Jong Un was on it — and it's a big win for North Korea -- Alex Lockie, Business Insider
Was Kim aboard mysterious train to China? 'Strong possibility' North Korean leader has made his first visit to Beijing after train made a quick round trip -- Daily Mail

Can A Dictator And A Dealmaker Come To Terms On Nuclear Weapons?

WNU Editor: The above analysis by Dr. Youngshik Daniel Bong (a professor at Seoul’s Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies) is spot on.

Did President Trump's Policy Force North Korea To The Negotiating Table?

Business Insider: Kim Jong Un appears to have totally caved to Trump's pressure — but it could be a trap

* South Korea says North Korea appeared to make huge concessions to advance potential talks with the US.
* It's possible Kim Jong Un caved in to President Donald Trump's pressure campaign, but it's also possible the move is a trick.
* North Korea has entered into denuclearization talks with the US before, only to back out and cash in on warmed relations during the talks.

South Korea's president's office reported on Tuesday that North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, said he was willing to talk to the US about dismantling his country's nuclear program in what looks like a huge concession to mounting international pressure.

Specifically, the Blue House, South Korea's version of the White House, laid out five specific points North Korea agreed to.

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WNU Editor: The right question should be .... if President Trump did not put pressure on North Korea by imposing tough sanctions, would the North Koreans be at the negotiating table right now. I think the answer would be no.

Is The North Korean Regime On The Verge Of Collapsing?

Reuters

Jamie Metzl, National Interest: Doomsday: Why We Must Prepare for the Coming Collapse of North Korea

The good news is that this collapse has the potential to be a win-win for nearly everyone. The North Korean people will end their terrible suffering, North and South Korea will be reunified under South Korean law, potentially following a UN-administered transitional period and referendum, the specter of a rogue nuclear nation at the heart of Asia will be removed, and China will gain a valuable trading partner in a unified Korea and access to Seoul’s high tech economy and northern Korea’s natural resources through high quality rail, road, and communications links. American troops could even be maintained below the 38th parallel to ease China’s fears of encirclement, with the long-term international relations of a unified Korea being up to the Korean people.

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WNU Editor: I have always believed that the most brutal regimes can only be overthrown by outside forces. Case in point .... even though the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia murdered millions when they took over the country in 1975, they were only overthrown when the Vietnamese invaded the country 4 years later. I can say the same about North Korea. Regardless of how bad the North Korean government behaves, its reign of terror is more then enough to keep control of the country for an indefinite period of time. It can only be overthrown if the countries on its borders make the decision to intervene .... whether covertly or overtly .... to overthrow the government. But as of today .... China and South Korea .... while resenting the regime, are in a defensive posture and have shown no interest in implementing a regime change policy. Hence .... I do not expect such a change to happen.

Could North Korea And America Be At War By April?

Harry J. Kazianis, FOX News: Why North Korea and America could be at war by April

Despite some media outlets’ endless fawning over all things North Korea during the Winter Olympics, the catalyst that nearly brought Washington and Pyongyang to war last year—the murderous Kim regime’s quest for nuclear weapons and missiles that can strike the U.S. homeland—is only growing more powerful by the day.

In fact, we seem destined to re-live the tension-filled events of 2017 all over again. Know this: come springtime, the United States and North Korea could very well find itself at war as tensions are set to spike once more.

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WNU Editor: I for one do not believe that there will be a war against North Korea anytime soon. The new sanctions that have been imposed on North Korea will take a year or two to have an impact .... a decision that the White House appears to be committed to. South Korea does not want a war .... and they must be on board if hostilities were to be initiated. But for the moment the South Koreans  are more focused on having talks with North Korea .... which will probably happen by this summer. Military deployments that would be a sign of a U.S. preparation for war (3 U.S. aircraft carriers or more in the region) are not occurring. And while there is concern that the U.S. may act unilaterally .... I have not seen any evidence that the U.S. will do so unless there is a real threat underway (i.e. missiles are being prepped to launch against the U.S).

A Former South Korean General Explains The Kim's Family Cult Of Personality In North Korea, And Why It Will Take A Lont Time For Change To Occur

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claps during a celebration for nuclear scientists and engineers who contributed to a hydrogen bomb test, September 2017. KCNA via REUTERS

ABC News Online: Former South Korean general warns West about removing North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un

"I caution the Western world that this dictatorship is different," says In-Bum Chun, the former South Korean lieutenant-general who warns that removing Kim Jong-un would be like "trying to get rid of Allah" from the Middle East.

"It will be very difficult. All dictatorships are paranoid because of their, inertial fault in their system.

Retired lieutenant-general Chun is one of South Korea's most ambitious and experienced military men who served in the Republic of Korea Army for nearly 40 years — including a period as leader of the country's special forces — before retiring about 18 months ago. He provided Korean-English language support to the commander in chief on numerous occasions and was awarded the US Army Commendation Medal by General RisCassi in 1992.

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WNU Editor: His comments and analysis on how powerful the Kim family's cult of personality has on North Korea is spot on. If done over a period of time through propaganda and indoctrination .... coupled with threats and punishment .... the population will be cowed and resistant to change. I have seen it first hand in the former Soviet Union among those who idolized Stalin, and in China among those who idolized Mao. As for North Korea .... I only met their diplomats when I was working at the U.N. (ICAO), and that was quite a sight to see. With the exception of the ambassador who had a degree of autonomy .... everyone else always stayed together like a cult. They all dressed the same, they never talked to anyone outside of their circle, and they all had a pin with the face of their leader on their lapel (which at that time was Kim Il-sung). They were even afraid to look at you, and when they did, it was over in a second. This even permeates the top leadership of North Korea, and today's visit by the North Korean leader's sister was very revealing. If you look at the videos of her at today's opening ceremony at the Olympics .... she made sure that she would not even be caught looking at Vice President Pence and Japanese PM Abe, let alone acknowledging their presence. This was all done on purpose .... which was to show the Kim family to be above everyone else.

If North Korea Loses In A War, How Can The Peace Be Won?

Danny Lam, Warrior Maven: After Destroying North Korea's Military: What Next? Winning the Peace

Once the US achieves the military destruction of North Korea, what next? How could it win the more difficult Peace?

Militarily defeating a nuclear armed North Korea with minimalrisks, low allied and DPRK casualties is possible. But that leads to the question of what sort of a post war Korea would emerge and how the peace can be won.

Winning the peace is a distinctly different task from fighting and winning the war. It requires different preparation, mindsets, training, expertise, and experience, much of which are not part of standard military repertoire. Occupational armies more often than not, lose the peace after winning the war.

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WNU Editor: A lot of assumptions and speculation in the above article. But it is true that in the end .... this will not be a U.S. or China or Russia or Japan problem to work out .... this will be something that the Korean people themselves must resolve. And like the Germans when they unified, I am confident and optimistic that the Koreans will resolve their divisions amicably that will "win the peace".

North Korea Is Advancing China's Strategic Objectives In The Region And Against The West

Joseph A. Bosco, National Interest: North Korea Is China's Double-Edged Sword

Keeping the Kim family dynasty in power, economically afloat, and technologically capable has significantly advanced China’s strategic objectives toward the West.

The citizens and government of Hawaii should send a big mock congratulatory lei to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The sheer terror they experienced for the better part of an hour last Saturday morning ultimately came courtesy of China’s longstanding policy of enabling and protecting North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Yes, the immediate cause of the panic was the local government’s erroneous flash warning that the Pacific paradise island was about to be hit by a nuclear missile. Given North Korea’s recent nuclear and missile tests and blatant threats against America, the alert seemed credible.

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WNU Editor: North Korea may have served China's strategic interests in the past, but I certainly do not see it now. The North Korean crisis is forcing Japan and South Korea to start an arms build-up while aligning itself more closely to the U.S., and there is now additional pressure on China to rein in its ally via through sanctions or face potential trade restrictions itself.

Will North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Help Prevent War?

Kim Jong-un, center, before a nuclear test at an undisclosed location, according to the North’s state-run news agency. Credit KCNA

B. Z. Khasru, South China Morning Post: How North Korea’s nuclear weapons are helping to prevent war

B. Z. Khasru says North Korea is following the lead of other small nations threatened by foes with superior military might. Kim Jong-un’s gamble might just pay off – if China can live with a nuclear neighbour

Atomic bombs are proving to be blessings for small nations that face enemies with far superior conventional and nuclear forces. This is especially true of North Korea, which expects to reap nuclear peace dividends, as fiery rhetoric gives way to cool heads.

Over the past 20 years, nuclear weapons have prevented at least three potentially big wars: between India and Pakistan, between Russia and Nato, and between the US and North Korea – as well as China by extension.

Nuclear bombs have also helped avoid major confrontations between Israelis and Arabs as well as Iranians. If more small countries had nukes, countless lives possibly could have been saved.

If Afghanistan had atomic bombs, for example, Afghans could have avoided the 40 years of mayhem since the Soviet Union’s invasion of their country in 1978. If Iraq had a nuclear arsenal, one million Iraqi lives and some 5,000 American lives could have been saved.

Nukes are, in fact, the chief deterrent to all-out war.

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WNU Editor: B. Z. Khasru believes nuclear weapons will restrain Kim Jong-Un and stop his adversaries from having him overthrown. I see the opposite .... nuclear weapons with a delivery system will embolden him, and it will force the major powers to make decisions that carry great risks to everyone in the region.

North Korea's Goal Has Never Changed Since The End Of The Korean War: Invade And Conquer South Korea

Korean People’s Army (KPA) tanks are displayed during a military parade marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2017. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on April 15 saluted as ranks of goose-stepping soldiers followed by tanks and other military hardware paraded in Pyongyang for a show of strength with tensions mounting over his nuclear ambitions. AFP PHOTO

WNU Editor: The forceful reunification of the Korean peninsula has always been the goal of the North Korean government .... and that policy goal has not changed since the end of the Korean War. What has always stopped the North from accomplishing their goals is the U.S. presence in South Korea, and its security guarantees to its people. Removal of U.S. forces, and the rescinding of U.S. security guarantees .... now that will change the dynamics on the Korean peninsula completely .... and that is North Korea's priority. And there is a precedent to this North Korean strategy .... and one only has to look at the Vietnam war, and what happened when U.S. military forces left and the U.S. government abandoned its support of the South Vietnamese government. I am sure that the rulers of North Korea have always dreamed of repeating history .... to do what the North Vietnamese did to South Vietnam .... get the U.S. out, and then wage a war to unify the people using nationalism as your driving force. Fortunately for all .... the North Koreans always lacked the means to convince the Americans to leave .... and South Korea is not South Vietnam. But what has kept the armistice for the past 65 years may now be changing .... nuclear weapons and the perception that Kim Jong-Un can now strike the U.S. mainland has given the North Koreans a lot leverage .... leverage that I am sure they will be using (if not already).

We are now entering dangerous territory .... and what is frustrating is that this has been predicted by many for years. And as to who should we blame for all of this  .... the list is long and many. But I do have a special place of blame on past U.S. administrations .... they had the power to change the region .... unfortunately .... there was never any real political will in Washington to make the hard decisions to stop North Korea's march to develop and deploy nuclear weapons. Economic inducements and promises of aid (that was only given sporadically) have not (and will not) work in changing North Korean policy. What should have been done in the past .... is what is being done now. President Trump's strategy of imposing across the board sanctions on the North Korean regime should have been employed years ago .... especially when China was vulnerable to U.S. economic pressure, and Russia was too weak to stand-up to the U.S.. This may not have changed the North Korean regime's strategic objectives .... but it would have starved its nuclear and missile program for years. Why was this not done is a question that I am sure that future historians will talk about .... but for now .... the options on what to do are all terrible. On a side note .... this is a must read .... Be afraid, be very afraid: North Korea’s long-term strategy (Bradley K Martin, Asia Times).