You don't taunt your enemies when you have no intention of backing it up.
“This is a very hazardous and ill-considered tactic.”
Agreed. I am not sure if I agree with your assumption about the allies - I am guessing you are referring to Red China and Russia. It’s not that I trust either one, I do not. They are going to do what they see as the most beneficial to them. I don’t have a clue how they would view it. I also believe North Korea’s leadership is unstable, as in mentally. They are also isolated. That in and of itself is a good reason not to taunt. That combination is dangerous. If I may respectfully ask you a question, how would NK’s allies profit by instigating trouble for us? I know the short answer, but surely they are aware of NK’s instability and the potential for things to spin out of control. If I were going to make trouble, I would pick a safer avenue. The US may be kind of screwed up now, but we are still the #1 super power militarily.-—JM