AL.com:
There is wide and bipartisan agreement that North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs pose a grave threat to the United States and our allies.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called it an “imminent” threat. His predecessor John Kerry said North Korea’s nuclear program would be one of the top challenges for the new administration.
But naming the problem is easy – especially when unpredictable leaders like Kim Jong-Un can’t stop bragging about his regime’s progress while threatening attacks on the west.
All paths forward have their challenges. Preemptive military action could lead to wider conflict while offering no real guarantee of eliminating North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.
Negotiation without verifiable assurances does not remove the threat, and is further complicated by the complex overlay of Sino-American relations. Which means immediately boosting funding for the centerpiece of our homeland missile defense, the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system (GMD), is the best path forward…
