Former Texas Republican congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul argued in a video clip he Tweeted Monday that U.S. foreign policy intentionally keeps North Korea unstable so the communist nation can play the role of international boogeyman.

"We've been doing this all this time and it's almost like [it is] to keep it unstable ... The instability is [because] we have promised the South Koreans that, 'We are going to take care of you. We are going to provide your weaponry. We are going to provide your indirect subsidies. We are going to take care of you and we're going to make sure that North Korea is held in check.' Don't ever talk to them. Don't ever have an open-door policy ... We need an enemy and for that part of the world, it is North Korea. They serve as the monster in that area," Paul said.

The former lawmaker argued that was not President Trump's intention but he is now "falling in line" with the existing policy.

The secretive communist country, which has conducted five nuclear bomb tests since 2006, has long been at odds with western nations. A brief period of apparent thawing during President Bill Clinton's administration did not change either country's policy, and North Korea has become more hostile since its leader, Kim Jong-Il, died and was replaced by his son, Kim Jong-un. The country test-fired a new mid-range ballistic missile on Sunday, but it failed almost immediately.

Trump, who during the election supported direct talks with North Korea, is prodding China to clamp down on the country economically. He tweeted Sunday that North Korea "is looking for trouble."

Paul is the father of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.