There is no more perplexing state than North Korea. Under the continuous rule of one family since its inception it has aspects of a Kingdom. The parades are evocative of Nuremberg at the height of the Nazi era. It remains in a technical state of war with South Korea. It has enormous economic problems, part self inflicted, part through sanctions. Its people exist in a world of their own because they are denied access to the real world outside. The West sees it as a threat. The Russians see it as dangerous. China, its ally (or keeper?) sees it as a nuisance. Everybody is against any notion of it having nuclear bombs or ballistic missiles.
Talks about turning the armistice into full blown peace have been going on for 63 years. This is a signature process of the US. Cuba, Israel and Taiwan, are almost as long winded. On the other hand Britain has dealt with Malaya, Kenya, Cyprus, Rhodesia and Northern Ireland. It understands as a former Empire, that the moment comes when it is best to move on. The US would argue that Britain’s problems were semi-domestic and had to do with giving up imperial power and were therefore easier to solve. It would offer the Falklands as one which remains unresolved. One where they support, kind of, Britain’s position out of friendship rather than conviction.
If you stand back, as this Blog likes doing when it can disentangle emotion from judgement, North Korea looks rather different from an overt threat. Its actions are not driven by expansion and a lust for power. They are actually driven by fear. Fear of the world in general but in particular fear of the United States. These rockets which go up (but with pay loads that cannot get back down), satellites which do not transmit and those underground nuclear blasts, are all about conveying a sufficient capability to defend itself, so as to force the US to negotiate a deal. This is where the problem lies, one which China has correctly identified.
America does not do deals. Iran was a milestone that many US politicians would like (but will not be able) to reverse. It cannot to deals with its own internal problems and all it issues to do with race, guns and governance are ongoing. It is the world master of confrontation and stand off. It never backs down (oops Viet-Nam). But at the end of the day either north Korea is going to beaver away underground until it has an H-bomb which can be mounted on a rocket which is reliable, can re-enter its payload and hit Los Angeles or San Francisco, or at some point America has to talk. That would certainly make the world a better and safer place. Twin ambitions of Americans since the founding of their country.