North Korea: China's Problem

What should the United States do about the Communist regime in North Korea’s nuclear weapons program?
The answer is a simple one: nothing, North Korea is not our problem, North Korea is China’s problem. China didn’t create North Korea, Joseph Stalin did, but the Chinese government has sustained North Korea with aid and support for decades. Without Chinese backing, Kim Po Yi’s sorry Communist dictatorship would have collapsed a decade much as the Eastern European Communist puppet states did.
The Chinese have kept Kim and his father in power for years and paid their bills. Although now it’s obvious that Beijing is loosing patience with Pyongyang, the Chinese shut down Kim Po Yi’s attempt to create a free enterprise zone on the North Korea/Chinese border. It seems it was just a scam being run by gangsters as a front for money laundering. Unfortunately, this was only example of North Korean crime, the Communist regime’s activities include counterfeiting, the manufacture and smuggling of illegal drugs and the sell of armaments such as ballistic missiles.
The Chinese are sick of this and are putting pressure on North Korea in an attempt to make the outlaw state behave. The Chinese are even assembling troops and other military forces on North Korea’s border to send Pyongyang a message. Last summer’s massive war games staged by Russian and Chinese forces, which included exercises simulating the invasion and occupation of a rogue state, seem more like preparations for an attack upon on North Korea than Taiwan.
The real purpose of North Korea’s nuclear tests is to send a message to China, the real target of the nuclear bombs and missiles is Beijing - not Los Angeles or Tokyo. Kim Po Yi is afraid of either revolution at home or Chinese invasion, he knows his sorry military which is composed of peasant conscripts with 1940s and 50s weaponry is no match for highly trained professional troops with modern weaponry. The only hope Kim has of staving off defeat and blackmailing China, South Korea and other nations into giving him foreign aid and continuing his lucrative rackets is nuclear weapons.
So what will happen next? That’s difficult to say, sanctions might work and North Korea might collapse. Or the Chinese fed up with North Korea might simply attack and put an end to Kim once and for all. After North Korea is a former province of the Chinese Empire and the politburo in Beijing considers itself the modern successor to the Emperors of old.
The best role for the United States in drama would be to step back and let China deal with North Korea. After all China is a rising power with the fastest growing economy on Earth and great wealth and power. If the Chinese want to be a Great Power and possibly a super power they have to assume the responsibilities of one. North Korea is China’s creature and henceforth China’s responsibility.
The USA has to step back and let China step up to the plate and take responsibility. Nations like China will never learn to be responsible international citizens if big brave Uncle Sam comes and solves their problems for them. The US doesn’t have the money, forces or resources to police the world we have other responsibilities in the Middle East and Afghanistan, fighting enemies who really have the capability to attack and hurt us.
Of course, stepping aside and letting China handle North Korea would take vision, humility, common sense and maturity from America’s leaders. I seriously doubt the present generation of US politicians, whether they be neoconservatives with dreams of American Empire in their heads or liberals intent on building a Wilsonian New World Order through the UN, are capable of any of those things.