Most national security analysts see the provocative second nuclear test by North Korea as a direct "poke" at Barack Obama -- testing his resolve in a high stakes international stand-off and demanding senior level US attention.
These analysts are partly correct, but the other part of the equation is that North Korea's nuclear gaming and short range missile launches today are embarrassing for the leadership in Beijing. According to one Chinese international security expert once affiliated with Peking University's International Studies Institute, China's tools for influencing North Korea are pretty minimal -- and the illusion of that influence just collapsed in front of the entire world.
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