[Sackett]

I also tend to think that a military invasion of some kind is going to take place in North Korea relatively soon.

I think the use of a chemical nerve agent to assassinate someone in an international airport of a country friendly to North Korea is what put us on this path. I mean, just read that sentence and think about just how flagrant and hostile such an action is.

The risk of action against North Korea is now less than the risk of not acting.

Think about it from China's perspective. Kim Jong-nam was connected to China, my guess is that he was sort of their back up plan in case they decided they needed a more biddable ruler of N. Korea.

Assassinating him can be viewed as trying to limit China's options. Additionally it was done in a way that flaunts traditional codes of state behavior, demonstrates a callous disregard for the lives of innocent civilians of all other nations, and shows a contempt for the simple idea of not harming your own allies.

If North Korea is willing to do that, then how confident can any nation be that they won't violate some other standard of behavior? Can China be confident that N. Korea won't strike out at them if it happens to benefit N. Korea in some small way?

Additionally, the US has stopped responding to North Korean provocations. That tends to suggest the US has decided that words and signals of disapproval are now meaningless.

Pretty sure that the US and China have come to some kind of agreement.

I understand that China now has something like 150,000 troops mobilized on the border with N. Korea, so maybe China will be the one leading the invasion.