Nuclear war is not something that typically is on the average American’s mind daily, but with the looming threat from North Korea, it’s becoming a potential reality.

Just days after North Korea had conducted its sixth and record breaking nuclear test, President Trump urged North Korean ally, China, to cut off trade with the belligerent North.

China and North Korea possess a strong relationship; a pivotal item in that relationship is something that the Chinese call the, “Friendship Pipeline”. The Friendship Pipeline is roughly 20-miles in length and supplies much of North Korea’s oil. The Chinese stopped reporting how much oil they export several years ago, however, South Korean data reports that China exports almost 500,000 tons of oil per year to its ally. If the Chinese were to cut off that vital lifeline for the North, it could potentially open negotiations for talks of disarmament of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and the possibility of deterring military action in the region.

The possibility of a Chinese cut off of oil supplies and trade to North Korea is scant. China would not want to destabilize a country in which they share a border and common interest with for the fact that it could possibly allow for a South Korean takeover of the North, which would consequently place an American ally closer to communist China.

The newly elected South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, believes that the best possible way to avoid military action in the region is to engage in peaceful dialogue with the North Korean leadership while simultaneously attempting to take the possibility of nuclear warfare off the table. However, during President Trump’s tenure in office, and especially in recent months, the United States and South Korea have been at odds with how to handle the North Korean situation with President Trump claiming the South Koreans to be “appeasers”.

So, if the Chinese are not willing to negotiate a trade embargo with North Korea and the United States, per the wishes of its South Korean ally, is avoiding military action in the Korean Peninsula, what other avenues are left to pursue in the fight against the antagonistic and cantankerous North Korea?

It’s like playing a round of the iconic children’s game, “Operation”; one wrong move and it could be game over. With President Trump holding the tongs, many Americans fear that he will touch the edge causing the buzzer to sound, and thus, push the United States into another war.