When Kim Jong Un became the leader of North Korea following his father's death in 2011, predictions about his imminent fall were rife. North Korea was isolated, poor, unable to feed its people, and clinging to its nuclear program for legitimacy. Surely this twentysomething with no leadership experience would soon be usurped by his elders. Instead the opposite happened. Kim Jong Un has solidified his grip on his country and brought the U.S. and the region to the brink of war.