what do we do about north korea?

condie is going to the east this weekend to china, japan and and s.k.
news.yahoo.com.../afp/20050707/wl_asia_afp/usnkoreanuclearricetrip_050707022919

after that do eenwe go to war NK has just been blowing alot of smoke up our butts for the last month, how much more do we take
i am curious how this pans out
any scenarios?

there are all kinds of scenarios on this forum just look back a few pages, this board is loaded with NK scenarios

North Korea is basically bluffing. Kim Jong Il is anything but an idiot. He knows that having nuclear weapons is going to get him the best possible deal in terms of aid, and protection for his regime. Common sense dictates that North Korea will not launch an unprovoked attack on the South, Japan, the US, or any other nation. It would be suicide. It'd be madder than MAD. Instead of Mutually Assured Destruction, it'd be SAD- Self Assured Destruction. Kim Jong Il has all the patience in the world, and has no problem watching millions of his people starve to death because of his policies. So long as he has food on his plate and control of his country, he's more than willing to push the envelope.

Basically right now its a staring contest between Kim and George W. Bush. Neither wants to be the first to blink, and give in to the other. Neither wants to look soft in the eyes of their own people and in the eyes of the international community. Notice how North Korea waited until an invasion of Iraq was all but certain before revealing that they had nuclear weapons. This was a strategic move, as they know the US was too tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan to launch an effective military campaign against them. Kim and his father have not held such a tight grip on their nation for the past 50+ years by being morons. They may be sick and twisted, but I'm willing to bet they're boarderline geniuses.

My bet is this will all end with some kind of aid package for North Korea as well as a guarantee of protection. The Koreans will have to give up their nuclear weapons and allow unfettered inspections by the IAEA. This is a best-case scenareo, but I think it's the best case for everyone involved. Therefore, it's the most likely outcome. Just my humble opinion...