Edward Fishman writes: There is no magic bullet for Pyongyang’s nuclear belligerence. A military strike against North Korea’s program could lead to devastating retaliation, and even the harshest sanctions may not change Kim Jong-un’s calculus. But as North Korea moves closer to acquiring a nuclear weapon that can hit the United States, we would be remiss not to see if the full weight of our sanctions might make Pyongyang reverse course. – New York Times
- Rogin: Congress wants Trump to pressure N. Korea, not US allies
- THAAD anti-missile system goes live in South Korea
Christian Caryl writes: If any current regime can be described as genocidal, North Korea is it. We don’t know the precise total of those who have fallen victim to their own government’s Orwellian fanaticism, but we know that the number is big. When the regime falls, as it likely will one day, the mass graves will come to light and many people will squeak with horrified indignation: How could such a thing happen in the modern world? Why didn’t anyone tell us this was going on? Yet that shock will ring hollow, considering that we already know what we know. And on that day, history will look back upon Trump’s words and deliver its darkest verdict. – Washington Post