Few options for Trump in North Korea

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Donald Trump says he is confident North Korea won’t develop a nuclear-tipped missile that could strike the United States.

But his options for stopping the reclusive communist country are slim: diplomacy that would reward Pyongyang, sanctions which haven’t worked, and military action that no one wants.

DIPLOMACY

In June, Trump called for dialogue with North Korea and suggested a talk with Kim over a hamburger.

If only talking with the secretive, hereditary rulers in Pyongyang were so simple. No sitting U.S. president has ever done so.

Diplomacy with the North is a delicate dance and agreements have proved temporary.

SANCTIONS

International sanctions have tightened since North Korea conducted its first of five nuclear tests in 2006. But the country has adeptly circumvented restrictions on sensitive technology and money flows, and used its own capabilities to develop weapons.

Additional U.S. sanctions, beefed up last year, punish foreign companies and banks dealing with North Korea. They, too, haven’t been effective because the North’s international isolation makes it less susceptible to such pressure than a major economy like Iran.

MILITARY

Using military force against North Korea is extremely risky.

It’s hardly a scenario any American commander-in-chief wants to contemplate.