The tensions of one year are carried seamlessly into its successor and, as 2011 opens, nowhere is that transfer more painful than on the Korean peninsula. During the past two months the North has attacked the southern island of Yeonpyeong with artillery and the South has conducted large live-fire exercises close to the border. Pyongyang, which recently revealed a uranium enrichment programme, has spoken of "a holy war… based on nuclear deterrence". Relations between the two sides are the worst they have been since the 1953 armistice. And there is no immediate prospect of improvement.
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