The confrontation on the Korean peninsula gives every appearance of reaching critical mass. The war clouds wafting from North Korea carry the danger of a violent episode if not of a second Korean War. Clearly North Korea -- or rather Kim Jong Il and the ruling elite -- is writhing under condemnation by the U.N. Security Council and the world over its nuclear tests and missile launches.
The question now is what the United States and others can do besides talk of "consequences," as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has warned, and of "saber-rattling," as the White House said dismissively.
Read Full Article »
