OPINION

Pyongyang playing long game, unlike Washington

News, Tyler Cowen, Published on 19/10/2017

» If we think through the North Korea nuclear weapons dilemma using game theory, one aspect of the problem deserves more attention, namely the age of the country's leader, Kim Jong-un: 33. Because peaceful exile doesn't appear to be an option -- his escaping the country safely would be hard -- Mr Kim needs strategies for hanging on to power for 50 years or more. That's a tall order, but it helps us understand that his apparently crazy tactics are probably driven by some very reasonable calculations, albeit selfish and evil ones.