Donald Trump has completed 100 days in office. His ratings are the lowest for any president, but the man is not concerned. His style of functioning continues to be like he still is in the campaign mode. He has been talking about North Korea and said he would do something drastic including taking military action. He says he will stop Koreas march to become a nuclear power. But Trump would have realized his limitations and also the fact that the US writ does not run all over the world. He has come a long way from what he had promised during the election campaign.
He has a meeting with President Xi lined up. He is now reduced to request china for support to cage North Korea. This is the harsh reality as the US on its own can neither bomb North Korea nor impose a blockade on his own. In all this, he needs to curry favor with Xi. The Chinese are not going to allow him to bomb North Korea. Even if he were to bomb the result would be simply disastrous, and the North is sure to react with a counter bombing of the South, Seoul could be devastated. Thus Donald has just to sit it out. Mere talk and nothing more.
Military option
Korea is not the only problem that Donald can't solve. He has already backed down on Taiwan, and all his initial bravado on using the recognition of the Island and the one China policy has gone into the air.
Similarly, the statement by Tillerson, secretary of state that the military option was on the table is meaningless. Practically there is no military option without Chinese agreement.So Donald has to curry favor with China. He had talked about getting China to roll back the military build up on the Spratly islands in the South China Sea.
He has not said anything on that now.
The way forward
The USA and Donald are in a bind. He has to show he is the strong man and for that he would like to take some decisive action against Kim. But it's not easy and going to war is better said than done. The American generals would like to go to war, but Donald better beware.
What is the option for Donald? He is a shrewd man, and if he thinks of out of box solutions, maybe he will win, His best course is to have contacts with the North directly? Maybe he could use his son in law Jared Kushner for some unofficial diplomacy.That is the best way forward. During the Vietnam war, many at that time had suggested that Ho Chi Minh was " our man" in Hanoi. Later Vietnam and China fought a war. The Koreans have no love for the Chinese, and maybe if he opens a direct channel to Kim Jong, he may pull a rabbit out of the hat. It could stump even China. Perhaps that is the way forward
