And if we can’t do that; email #3 of 3

[And again, dear friends, please my apologies to those who are receiving this email; there are a lot of you]

And if we can’t do the food-clothes-and-toy blitz, then our best bet will be to rely on China to exercise all its might to minimize the conflict.

Until now China hasn’t done much that can be pointed at, to decrease the tension level in and around North Korea. I’m not sure why. Many factors can be cited, such as the change in leadership, a moderate-to-weak foreign policy handling of the situation, etc., but none of them make up a clear reason for Beijing’s lack of engagement. The fact is that China could have put its foot down earlier and held a harder big-brother line with Kim Jong-Un. But no diplomacy used today would be very effective, as Kim Jong-Un cannot be viewed now as changing his mind. Nor will he want to.

So, the option for China would be to immediately halt all aid to North Korea, including and especially, oil. Without oil and gasoline, and with depleted wood resources, the North Korean army would be significantly impaired and troop movements would be reduced to soldiers on foot, with little equipment and food to follow them.

If China at the same time relaxed its border control, Kim Jong-Un’s base of authority would be quickly sapped.

And who knows? Maybe China is furiously working away at calming down Kim Jong-Un right now. They would not tell us if they were, and it’s somewhat comforting to think that’s a possibility.

In the meantime, I surely hope that those task forces in Seoul and Washington are working furiously to get us secretly ready for another conflict.

Because otherwise, I’m concerned. Concerned for South Korea; concerned for Japan, and ultimately, for the US. Because, again, Kim Jong-Un is bound to try something soon.