@chaski Said
The idea that we should be establishing diplomatic relations with N. Korea with the ultimate goal of bringing them into and in line with the international community, and embracing/incorporating/establishing international human rights standards... etc... Is a
np brainer.
"We" should absolutely be doing this with N. Korea.
That idea applies as well to Iran and Cuba.
We did it with the USSR, China... we went to war with Vietnam and now have a diplomatic relationship with them.
Again >>>
no brainer.
Having said that
Trump's
dog and pony show with Kim is idiotic, as is his position on both Iran and Cuba.
Michael Corleone:
...keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
Sun Tzu: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” And the only way to truly know your enemy is to communicate with "him". Granted, "spying" is useful tool.
@chaski Said
Also...
1. N. Korea's nuclear program is
not as advanced as they sometimes claim.
2. "We", the USA, know this but it is believed that it behooves us to pretend like they are more advanced than they are. (One might think of WMS that Iraqi didn't have.
3. The only way to convince N. Korea to not pursue nuclear weapons is to convince them that they do not need them.
Diplomacy.
Yeah I think at this point, the race to prevent them from becoming a nation with nukes is over. And any military attempt to wrest it from their hands may end up a humanitarian catastrophe. So we now have to approach this as we did with the Soviet Union. At least, unlike the Soviets, we don’t have to worry about the regime spreading or even matching our strength by any stretch of the imagination, nor probably any attack. Hopefully someday, with enough peaceful pressure, the fate of this little hermit nation will end up the same as it did for the USSR.