It is stupid of the US not to accept NOKO’s nuclear capability. It is guaranteed that NK will never voluntarily give up its ICBMs and/or nukes. The US has now painted itself into a corner and the only way out is by the use of force. Are we willing to use force and have we convinced NK that we will?
This depends on what is meant by “voluntarily”. And we are far from being in a corner.
While it may appear that the US and S. Korea are at odds over approach, I believe this is really just “good cop / bad cop” to give the norks an “out”, as the Norks oil is cut off. Despite the ship to ship transfers that have occurred, those are insufficient to supply the North, and should diminish to a trickle with the light of day now on them. Kimmy can’t get far without petro...
Further, North Korea acquiring nukes cannot be allowed to stand, nor Iran allowed to acquire nukes. It’s bad enough that Pakistan and India gained them (tho’ almost impossible to prevent, especially in India’s case.) But at least S. Africa and Ukraine dropped out of the club, and neither Pak or India routinely threatens others with annihilation or engage in blackmail. Allowing N. Korea or Iran to continue sends a message that we cannot prevent ANYONE from going nuclear, and both are in regions that surely will, in response: S. Korea, Japan, possibly Taiwan, Vietnam is not actually out of the question, Saudi Arabia... Who knows who else might feel threatened and join in, in 10 - 20 years.
This is a GUARANTEE of disaster in the next 50 years or so, one that might well not involve N. Korea at all.
Trump’s bad cop “big button” tweet has libs all aflutter, but it is the right move / sends the right message: We will use whatever force is needed, if need be. “No oil” might do the trick.