North Korea: What’s really happening? Here's everything you need to know - by Tim Shorrock for salon

[Douglas Carpenter]

1. it goes without saying that North Korea's regime is crazy - but considering the cost even under the

best case scenario - of war with North Korea - With close to two million North Korean troops just north of Seoul - armed with some of the largest stockpiles of artillery and short range missiles on earth - it would be a matter of only minutes before there were several hundred thousands of dead South Koreans and much of South Korea's energy, transport and industrial infrastructure would almost certainly be destroyed. The situation for North Korea would doubtlessly be far worse - Even if total military victory came very quickly - millions of half-starved North Korean refugees will be struggling to make it south - just wrecking any viability for South Korea for a long, long time to come.

With all of this in mind and of course fully aware of the crazy nature of this isolated and paranoid regime - it only makes sense to examine what missteps have been made and to ask - Is there not an alternative to war? War with North Korea would truly be opening the gates to hell - and everyone will in the long run lose. Thus a little reflection on missteps while we try to find a way to avoid stumbling into a catastrophe is a sensible thing to do right now.