Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” former Under Secretary of State Richard Stengel discussed his op-ed in Monday’s New York Times defending the former administration’s refusal to use the word “Islamic extremism” when it comes to the threat from ISIS.

“Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski asked Stengel about the ISIS threat and who in his view was a bigger threat to U.S. national security: ISIS or North Korea.

According to Stengel, it was North Korea.

“I don’t think ISIS is an existential challenge as President Obama has said and as I say in my piece we have done a good job in combating them,” he replied. “I think North Korea represents a real threat, real threat to the kind of re-balanced Asia that we have where 40 percent of the world’s economy is. And I think as the senator says, I mean, we have to have a partnership with China so that they can put the wood, as you said, on the North Korea. They are the only ones who can.”

(h/t Grabien)

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