If the US military conducted a limited series of strikes on North Korea, would it scare Kim Jong Un enough to stop the young leader's dogged pursuit for nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles?
But behind North Korea's colorful threats was always an important message: Pyongyang is developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US, so decision makers in Washington will think twice about whether to conduct a so-called"bloody nose" strike or, say, kill a general whom is deemed a terrorist and an imminent threat.
Soleimani's killing, Mount said, would likely strengthen North Korea's resolve to expand its nuclear deterrent. Pyongyang has pointed to leaders like Hussein and Moammar Gadhafi of Libya as telling examples of why it needs nuclear weapons, and why it is so hesitant to give them up in negotiations. Gadhafi agreed to abandon his nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief in the early 2000s. Within years, he was overthrown and killed by rebels backed by Washington.
Both sides have accused the other of being inflexible in their attempts to reach a deal that would see Pyongyang trade its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in exchange for relief from the economic sanctions that have crippled the North Korean economy.
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