But the United States should simultaneously begin disengaging from the region's unsettling quarrels. By any normal measure, the DPRK should be irrelevant. Bankrupt, starving, and bereft of allies, North Korea is becoming the least of nations. Barely 20 countries bother to maintain embassies in Pyongyang, the North's capital. Arrayed against it is an imposing coalition.
Japan is the world's second-ranking economic power with a limited but potent military.
Russia was once allied with Pyongyang, but is now shipping weapons to Seoul to pay off its debts. Yet the North continues to drive events in the region. The DPRK retains two advantages. One is a large army, supplemented by missile development and atomic research programs. There is, however, little behind this seemingly imposing edifice.