The White House is reportedly considering a pre-emptive military strike against North Korea
A pre-emptive military strike is one of several options for dealing with North Korea that may be presented to President Trump in a White House strategy review document, The Wall Street Journal reports. The review includes a broad range of possibilities, from forcible regime change to American acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear state.
Though the president has publicly maintained he will stay the course on U.S.-North Korea relations, "U.S. officials have underscored the possible military dimensions of their emerging strategy in recent discussions with allies," the Journal says, citing unnamed sources familiar with the diplomatic talks. For example, during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's February meetings with Trump, military options were reportedly mentioned multiple times as a means of dealing with Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
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For dueling analyses on why invading North Korea is either necessary or insane, check out these articles from The Week's Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry and Harry J. Kazianis.
