Ask Russia to exert influence with North Korea

As America lit up the skies in its annual independence celebration, North Korean President Kim Jong Un set off some provocative fireworks of his own that should have the U.S. — all nations, for that matter — extremely concerned.

North Korea’s launch of a missile that technically qualified as an intercontinental ballistic missile with the capability of reaching Alaska ratchets up the level of alarm.

Purposely timed to coincide with America’s July 4th, it’s both a publicity stunt and further proof that Kim has no intention of being deterred from an aggressive nuclear weapons program.

Tough talk won’t do it. Nor will display-of-force military exercises like the ones the U.S. and South Korea have been staging.

And it is increasingly clear that the let-China-deal-with-it strategy that has been the policy choice of every U.S. president in the last quarter century is not going to get the job done either.

Sure, China has the power to bring North Korea into line, and it would like to avoid having a nuclear war (even a limited one) in its front yard — especially one involving a neighbor it has vowed to protect.

But for now Chinese leaders don’t seem to believe that threat is real. Besides, China’s leadership is perhaps the world’s foremost practitioner of the what’s-init-for-us philosophy of leadership.

While Kim Jong Un is not exactly the most reasonable of dictators, the Chinese know they can deal with him at any time and, right now, he is serving the useful purpose of making the Americans uncomfortable.

Such distractions can be useful for China as it manipulates currency and expands into the South China Sea.

A preemptive strike by the U.S. against North Korea has to be on the table, but it needs to be a last resort to protect America. There are other steps to take first.

One, which the Trump administration did this week, is to involve the United Nations.

Given the U.N.’s track record, this is unlikely to help, but it is a necessary step.

Another is for President Donald Trump to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to exert his influence over North Korea when the two men meet.

Yes, they’ll talk about Syria, Iran and the Middle East and likely the U.S. elections.

But they should also explore whether Russia can help to deescalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Indeed, there are plenty of tensions. The South Koreans and Japanese, among others in the region, are extremely worried, as well they should be. So should we. And so should Russia.

Tough talk won’t do it. Nor will display-of-force military exercises like the ones the U.S. and South Korea have been staging. And it is increasingly clear that the let-China-deal-with-it strategy that has been the policy choice of every U.S. president in the last quarter century is not going to get the job done either.