[CMichael]

It seems pretty clear that North Korea is using the nuclear threat to blackmail the US into economic concessions.

How should the US respond?

[Hkmp5sd]

Use pressure on China to make them force North Korea to staighten up. China is very dependent on US market for their goods. North Korea would not exist without Chinese support. As for North Korea, do not give in to any demands they make. Once you pay a blackmailer, you never get to stop. About all they can do is wipe our their country and South Korea with their nukes.

[Standing Wolf]

In exactly two words: régime change!

[bbrins]

Regime change sounds good, but take away all of their nukes while we are at it.

Give N. Korea what it's asking for
Just how do you mean this? We could give them what they're asking for, but then again we could give them what they're asking for.

[CMichael]

bbrins I understand the confusion. I mean give N. Korea the economic requests that they are demanding.

My opinion is that giving any concession to blackmail just encourages the blackmailer and other potential blackmailers to blackmail again.

I think the message that must be given is that N. Korea will lost a lot more than it will gain by proceeding on this course.

[COHIBA]

korean BBQ.
preheat country to 45,000,000 degree's...

[mercedesrules]

If north koreans don't want to trade with americans, no other type of relationship is needed.

[MeekandMild]

None of the above. If there is a kid in the neighborhood bullying your kids you go talk to the father. IMHO we just mention to the Chi Coms that unless they end this menace we will end them.

[Navy joe]

To fix this, ask how North Korea has made a cult of personality dictatorship work for so long. Simple. Unlike dissident infested Cuba, NK has few links with the outside world. Nobody wants to go there, and the only cool product they turn out is intermediate range ballistic missiles. Since there is extremely limited foreign interaction the gov't can control what the people know. If you don't realize it, North Koreans are allowed to have radios as long as they are fixed to one frequency. Guess who controls that? Big crime to get caught violating. Same with TVs. Internet? Fuggedaboutit. Let China handle the military stiff arming while we figure out how to spread the information superhighway a little north of the DMZ.