As North Korea confounds many expectations by racing towards the finishing line in developing its growing cache of WMDs, Washington policy makers are breaking out some of the more ambitious ideas from the foreign policy playbook.

Leading a congressional delegation on a tour of northeast Asia this week, Senator Edward Markey suggested that all oil exports from China and Russia should be suspended. Markey contended that: “Getting China to cut off the flow of oil to North Korea… is the one sure way to have a decisive impact on North Korea’s decision-making.”

The proposal