It was going to happen. Vice President Biden warned the American people that the neophyte Obama would be challenged in an international crisis within 6 months of his presidency. North Korea is offering such a challenge with its second nuclear test and subsequent missile tests. The only good thing coming out of the test is that the country is using up its fissile material.
There are three reasons to be concerned with nuclear North Korea: 1) They will use the weapons against the U.S. or our allies; 2) they will start a proliferation chain (e.g. Japan); and 3) they will provide the material, know-how or bombs to terrorists or other countries.
The implications of a nuclear North Korea are profound. The United States has wrestled with this problem since 1991 and no administration has found a good solution. Each has preferred to kick the can down the road and hope that the regime collapses.
That policy has not worked. North Korea has only grown its nuclear capabilities. There is every reason to believe this will continue. The administration seems to adopt the action of its predecessor, watching North Korea closely to ensure no bombs or components leave. That is an imperfect solution because North Korea gets stronger, with more fissile material to sell. It also places a huge burden on the U.S. intelligence community. But it is the only practical solution and so is good enough for the present circumstances.
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