April 8, 2017

"North Korea continues to dominate headlines as the media, global security analysists, and world leaders alike continue to sensationalize every provocative weapon test the hermit state attempts. Meanwhile, the major stakeholders in the region, the US, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia, have remained unable or unwilling to cooperate on an effective policy for dealing with North Korea. Instead they have allowed three generations of Kim dictators to keep North Korea internationally relevant through provocative acts of brinkmanship and terrorism, and allowed North Korea to consume the focus and diplomatic energy of the major stakeholders of Northeast Asia while keeping the region in a perpetual state of tension.  

Perhaps it is time to respond to North Korea's antics not with hysteria and sensationalism, but rather by downplaying the significance of the hermit state’s nuclear weapons capability. Intuitively, the world knows that a nuclear North Korea is not a positive development. But it might not be as 'game changing' as the sensational headlines and soundbite statements would lead people to believe. North Korea's biggest gain from nuclear weapons may very well be the prestige that foreign sensationalism creates. Perhaps it is time to borrow some rhetoric from another communist dictator and declare North Korea’s nuclear weapons to be a 'Paper Tiger.'" 

Read more:

http://www.ippreview.com/index.php/Blog/single/id/395.html

NISCSS does not necessarily share in or endorse the opinions of off-site commentators.