Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has urged American soldiers to be ready for anything, saying that “storm clouds are gathering” over the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea is obviously being backed by a major power. The US and other nations should support efforts toward constitutional reform to lead China to democratize, forcing North Korea to follow suit and drop its nuclear weapons program. As Emmanuel Kant once noted, 'The pursuit of permanent peace is the highest goal of reason and a moral obligation.' China claims to be a 'responsible major power', thus it should not enable North Korea's continued militarism. Democracies worldwide should support Taiwan's commitment to democracy and leading China to democratization, which would pressure North Korea in turn to adopt democracy. For more, see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development. §1.4 §6.4 §7.3 §8.3