The consensus finally seems to be that there are only three options with regard to dealing with North Korea. As explained in a number of analyses recently, all the options discussed are really only variants of (a) diplomacy and negotiations, (b) forcing the regime to change its behavior, or (c) forcing a change in the regime itself.

The first option is what has been tried for the last few decades. The second option is generally seen as a series of sanctions designed to bring the regime to its knees – to its sense, if one accepts what the current U.S. administration believes. The third option is pre-emptive military strikes designed to either cripple the country into submission or to decapitate its leadership.