Kim Jong-Il is actually pretty sane and steady. The whole insane unstable dictator thing is just an act to get concessions out of the US. It's quite clever, and during the last administration it was very effective.
But Kim Jong-Il might not be in power much longer, and it remains to be seen who takes over and what they're like.
One thing is for sure though - a pre-emptive American strike against North Korea simply is not an option. The US knows that, as does North Korea. If North Korea were an island in the middle of nowhere we would have invaded them long ago, but they're not - they're right next to a major American ally and a key player in the global economy. Even if we win the war (which I'm confident we would) it would still destroy Seoul and devestate South Korea. That's not a price that the US is willing to pay.
The only way the US would attack North Korea is if North Korea attacks the US or one of our allies. North Korea knows this, so they're not going to attack.
|