NORTH KOREA'S NUKES

Why hasn't there been a thread about this yet?

China's decision is the fulcrum in this situation. They can threaten to stop propping up the regime and exert a certain amount of control over it. But both Kim Jong Il and China know that Kim is the kind of guy to fire off a nuke if there is little chance of him living the rest of his life in opulent splendour.

If they keep on propping up it's regime undoubtedly Kim will try to maintain his leverage.

I think China should use what influence it has to integrate North Korea and China and to encourage Kim to open up his economy. China will do all the work preventing foreigners from disgruntling his military whilst Kim can make a little money on the side. The reasonning being, sure he has nukes, but he wants the same thing as everyone else. So why not show him the benefits of making his populace more valuable.

Rofl, China doesn't have anything to gain from helping N.K. they could nuke Korea to oblivion if it ever tried anything, and more likely N.K. would attack S.K. or Japan, it doesn't stand a snowball against China militarily.

But yeah, China holds the cards on this, whether Kim Jong Il decides to do something gloriously stupid is going to be determined by how China reacts to his nuclear ambitions.

Kim Jong Il is getting kinda old though, he might try to die in a blaze of glory...