Illustration: Rebecca Zisser / Axios
President Donald Trump today pledged to "destroy" North Korea if it doesn't back down from its pursuit of a nuclear missile program. Speaking of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump said "Rocket man [Kim Jong Un] is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime."
So we asked four experts if there are any military options in North Korea that wouldn't lead to immediate catastrophe:
- Daniel Russel, diplomat in residence at Asia Society Policy Institute: The possibility of a warning shot
- Du Hyeogn Cha, visiting research fellow at Asan Institute for Policy Studies: Keeping the military option open
- Jonathan Pollack, senior fellow at Brookings' Center for East Asia Policy: There are no easy answers
- Adam Mount, senior fellow at Center for American Progress: Don't start a war