Why can't we live with a nuclear North Korea?

Panicked hyperbole will never solve the North Korea problem. It's time to be realistic.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides guidance on a nuclear weapons program in September 2017.
(Image credit: KCNA via REUTERS)

How do you "solve" the North Korea problem? This question has dominated U.S. foreign policy discussions for years. Former President Barack Obama warned President Trump before his inauguration that the small, poor, nuclear-armed country could pose the most urgent foreign policy challenge of his presidency.

Despite extensive economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure, North Korea continues to advance its military power. Last week, North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could potentially reach the entire continental U.S. American politicians are scrambling to figure out how to respond.

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Gracy Olmstead

Gracy Olmstead is a writer and journalist located outside Washington, D.C. She's written for The American Conservative, National Review, The Federalist, and The Washington Times, among others.