THE KOREAN THREAT – AND THERE ARE NO GOOD SOLUTIONS – AT 10:56 A.M. ET:   The latest North Korean ICBM test has the experts chilled.  It is possible that North Korean progress will soon, or even currently, allow the North to hit the western United States.  From Fox: 

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he and President Donald Trump agreed to take further action against North Korea following its latest missile launch.

Abe told reporters after the call that Trump pledged to “take all necessary measures to protect” Japan and that Abe praised his commitment to do so.

He also called on China and Russia to do more to stop Pyongyang.

“We have made consistent efforts to resolve the North Korean problem in a peaceful manner, but North Korea has ignored that entirely and escalated the situation in a one-sided way,” Abe said, according to Bloomberg. “The international community, starting with China and Russia, must take this obvious fact seriously and increase pressure.”

Abe said Japan would pursue concrete steps to bolster defense systems and capabilities under firm solidarity with the U.S. and do the utmost to protect the safety of the Japanese people.

The White House said in a statement after the phone call that the two leaders “agreed that North Korea poses a grave and growing direct threat to the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and other countries near and far,” Reuters reported.

The call between the two world leaders comes hours after the U.S., Japanese and South Korea militaries spent 10 hours conducting bomber-jet drills over the Korean peninsula.

COMMENT:  Douglas MacArthur once said that all military disasters start with two words:  too late.  We are seeing that now in our crisis with North Korea.  For years we have "negotiated" one agreement after the other with the North, to no effect.  The regime continues to develop nuclear weapons, and the missiles to carry them.  The only consequences we have imposed are some sanctions, which haven't worked. 

There are no good solutions.  We depended on China to pressure North Korea.  The Korean behavior didn't change.  We have hinted at military action, knowing full well that the North is fully capable of massive retaliation against anything we do.

Some are arguing that we have no choice but to depend on old-fashioned deterrence, maintaining a powerful military presence in the region to deter any North Korean moves.  It worked with the Soviet Union.  It has worked, at least in terms of the use of nuclear weapons, with China.  But those are great nations with rational, if evil, governments.  North Korea is a basket case.  The government cannot even feed its own people.  It has no dreams for a better future.  It is run by a kid who inherited power from his father.  What if, like the Japanese in World War II, it becomes suicidal?

I'm sure CNN can figure it out.

July 31, 2017