President Trumpthreatens North Korea with "fireand fury like the world has never seen," whilst fellow Republican John McCain warns that thecountry risks "extinction." But what does the regime in North Korea actuallywant? Is Kim Jong-un truly the mad cartoon villainthat the media love to portray?

Without being anapologist for the oppressive North Korean government, T. J. Coles exposes thepropaganda war waged against it, revealing the truth behind the simplistic newsheadlines. North Korea has made multiple offers to the international communityto end its nuclear program in exchange for assurances that it won't be attackedby the US. It has even committed to a no-first-use policy for nuclear weapons--somethingthe US itself will not do.

Far from being a statein self-imposed hermitage, North Korea has diplomatic relations with over onehundred countries. Coles argues that the US is deliberately seeking to isolate theregime as part of its wider geostrategic goals in the Asia Pacific. The real targetof the US, and ultimately its biggest challenge, is China. Coles debunks mythsregarding North Korea's military and demonstrates that in actual fact it haslimited capabilities. In building up its own armed forces in the region (theso-called Asia Pivot), the US is playing a dangerous game of nuclearbrinkmanship.