Which Side Is Bluffing in N Korean Standoff? | Ted Galen Carpenter | Cato Institute: Commentary

Which Side Is Bluffing in N Korean Standoff? | Ted Galen Carpenter | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Pyongyang is also aware that Washington has previously tried to use the isolation strategy against other 'breakout' nuclear powers with little success. The US sought to get India and Pakistan to reverse course following their nuclear tests and the deployment of arsenals in the late 1990s. Those measures seem like quaint memories today, as the US is busily establishing close ties with both countries.

North Korean leaders could legitimately speculate that, after initial fussing and fuming, the US (and other countries) would ultimately accept the new reality and fully normalise economic and diplomatic relations with the newest member of the global nuclear-weapons club."