US must decide how to form confrontation with North Korea

As Pyongyang continues apace with building up its nuclear arsenal, Richard N Haass asks what is the best course of action the West should take

Imagine it is 2020. The director of the CIA requests an urgent meeting with the US president. The reason: North Korea has succeeded in making a nuclear bomb small enough to fit inside the tip of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the continental United States.

The news soon leaks to the public. High-level meetings to devise a response are held not just in Washington, but in Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing, and Moscow as well.