About that pea sized pea brain in North Korea .......

[Stinky The Clown]

.... if you had the authority ...... what would you do?

I'd work with his neighbors to take him and his regime out of power. No more fucking around and "negotiating". He/they are a true menace to the region.

[TimesSquareCowboy]

1. I would do nothing. There's apparently a bit of a power struggle going on.

Let's see who wins.

[pnutbutr]

4. What?

Between who and who?

[Catshrink]

2. Isn't that the logic the Cheney Admin. used to invade Iraq?

Actually, it's even more so -- at least N. Korea proved they have a nuke. Saddam was just hot air.

[zorahopkins]

3. He's The Leader of a Sovereign Nation

Like it or not, Kim Jong Il is the leader of a sovereign nation.

It is not up to any other nation to "take him and his regime out of power". THAT would be a very agressive action, and one probably prohibited by the Geneva Convention.

Diplomacy and patient negotiation is the ONLY way.

WAR is NOT the answer. It NEVER is.

[Raskolnik]

6. The trouble is that the NK regime may not be acting rationally at this point.

Diplomacy and patient negotiation is the first and best option, of course, but I'm not at all certain that the power struggle either happening now or about to happen in NK won't lead to open war.

[zorahopkins]

7. The US Should Be A Nation Of Peace

The United States should be a nation of peace -- NOT War.

If war does come to that region of the world, it should NOT be because of any action on the part of the US.

The US should lead by example, and show the rest of the world how to resolve conflict without resorting to war.

Unfortunately, the past eight, long dreary years of the tyranny of the evil and corrupt and illegal Bush/Cheney regime of thugs and cronies has done much to undermine the US's position as a nation of peace.

But, under the new administration of President Obama, the US should once again become a nation of peace.

War is NEVER the answer!

[Raskolnik]

10. I don't agree that war is "never" the answer.

War should be the last resort, but unfortunately the last resort must sometimes be used. If, (god forbid), NK fires its missiles into SK or at Japan, or invades SK in force, I'm not sure what choice the U.S. would have other than an armed response.

[zorahopkins]

11. If North Korea Engages in Aggression Against Its Neighbors.....

If North Korea should fire its missles into South Korea or Japan, what purpose, really, would an armed response by the US have?

Under those circumstances, wouldn't an armed response by the US merely inflamce North Korea all the more, and lead to possible missle firings aimed at the USA? And even if that were not the case, wouldn't an armed response by the US lead to the deaths of even more people -- including American military people? And to what end? Revenge? Total annihilation of the people of North Korea? What purpose does THAT serve?

I still say Diplomacy and engagement -- not bombs and more loss of life.

Like the song from the '70's said -- "War. What is it good far? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! (Say it again!)"

[Raskolnik]

13. So if NK invades SK, or fires missiles at Japan, the response should be...?

What purpose would an armed reponse have!? How about stopping NK from further invasion or acts of war? That's a pretty legitimate purpose, no? Yes, millions of people would likely die if NK decides that it is going to instigage full-scale war on the peninsula, but sitting back and letting NK lob artillery into Seoul might not be the best option, either.

Diplomacy and engagement are wonderful tools, but if the NK regime decides that it is going to reunify the peninsula by force, I believe responsive force is the only appropriate and effective option that would be left to the US and SK.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. He's quite likely insane .... yet he retains all the power in the country

He's wagging his nuclear dick at the world in a series of reckless acts that defy all current social standards in the international community.

[originalpckelly]

5. I would send them some of our nukes.

But not before we had the ability to make damn sure they could be neutralized. Why should we and Russia have a practical monopoly on the need to pull back from the brink?

If they use them on their own people, then they're only killing their followers. I don't think most cult leaders want to do that, unless they have a death wish themselves. Hopefully, we can make a good case to Kim Jong Il that death, destruction, and suffering are not the only solution to our problems.

[anonymous171]

8. Use him to embarrass the shit out of China. nt

[AngryAmish]

12. No one wants anything different

Both South Korea and China to don't hordes of pint sized, low IQ North Koreans swarming over the borders being drains on resources. So everyone is content to keep them where they are now.

NK becomes a problem when they strart selling missle and nuke tech.