Former US General offers advice on eliminating North Korea's nuclear threat

However, according to Mr. Daniel L. Davis - a senior member of the organization "Defense Priorities" and a lieutenant colonel of the US Army who retired in 2015, after 21 years in the military and participating in 4 wars, if the ultimate goal of the US is to prevent aggression and prevent war, this new series of sanctions will not help achieve that result.

Mr. Davis argues that there are really only two ways to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula: one is through tough, challenging diplomacy, and the other is through the deployment of a brutal and bloody preventive war. It is certain that launching a preventive military strike will provoke North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to respond with a massive counterattack.

North Korean spy Kim Hyon-hui planted a bomb on a South Korean passenger plane, causing it to explode, killing more than 100 people.

A full-scale attack would likely kill millions and could provoke Kim into attacking US interests directly, former General Davis said. If the US decided to pressure Kim into a World War II-style unconditional surrender, Washington could ultimately win thanks to its overwhelming industrial and technological superiority, but the costs would be far greater than the gains.

There would be no war if the US did not start it. The US has an overwhelming nuclear and conventional deterrent to counter any invasion from a much weaker North Korea. That would provide enough time to achieve America’s immediate security objectives – ensuring Mr Kim never uses his weapons – while providing all the time the US needs to pursue a diplomatic solution.

In the article, Mr. Davis made it clear that although officials regularly asked the United States to seek a diplomatic solution to the North Korea problem, actions showed otherwise. The United States is not currently engaging in genuine diplomacy, but simply taking “actions” without a coherent strategy designed to achieve a reasonable goal. “Maximum pressure” will likely only make North Korea more determined to maintain what it considers vital: its nuclear deterrent.

It is arguable that North Korea is plotting to use its goodwill in participating in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea to its advantage. However, the US and its allies do not have to play by North Korea’s rules, but rather use their leverage and strong position to negotiate with a weak but brutal North Korea to end the conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

However, without discussion, without established means of communication, diplomacy is by definition impossible; without diplomacy, war becomes the only outcome.

US National Security Adviser HR McMaster has repeatedly said that the US is “running out of time” to find a solution. On the contrary, the US holds all the strongest cards. Steadfast deterrence and relentless diplomacy can achieve the US’s goals at a reasonable cost. Power deterrence costs the US time to achieve diplomatic success.

Another common fallacy is that if we do not move quickly, Mr. Kim will threaten the United States with nuclear blackmail and reunify the Korean Peninsula under his command. That fear is misguided and, in fact, unjustified. First, the South Korean military is far more powerful than the North Korean armed forces and could repel an attack from Pyongyang.

What the United States should do is engage in a sensible, viable two-part strategy: demonstrate a determined deterrent through superior firepower to keep the United States and its allies safe, and engage in relentless diplomatic efforts. While it will take years of consistent application, this strategy will keep the United States safe and prevent the deaths of thousands, if not millions.

The bottom line is that there will be no war on the Korean Peninsula unless the United States starts it. Instead, the United States should exploit its economic, diplomatic, and military strengths to pursue a realistic strategy that will keep the country safe.