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New Haven, USA - Call it the most bizarre way to fish for an invitation but the North Korean claimed nuclear test is just that. Having failed to get the attention of the White House in their call for direct bilateral talk, Kim Jong Il has yet again taken an outrageous step. Some sanctions will inevitably follow but the immediate fallout of the test will be to unleash a debate about who lost North Korea.
New Haven, USA - As long as oil and gas continue to fuel the global economy, no importer can enjoy prosperity with the Middle East in turmoil. This is particularly true for heavily oil-dependent China and India. The two countries may not display outward concern about the clash between Israel and Hezbollah, but they are acutely aware of the risks of a prolonged conflict.
New Haven, USA - Despite constant talk about Chinese leverage over North Korea, the reality may just be the opposite. Given China's huge stake in security along its eastern border and the unpredictability of a nuclear-armed North Korea, the Beijing-Pyongyang relationship appears to be one in which the tail is wagging the dog.
Connecticut, USA -- Sending US cruise missiles to destroy a crude North Korean scarecrow is a bad idea. Blowing up Taepodong on the launch pad would set off a fireworks display that may be emotionally satisfying but will not deprive Pyongyang of the nuclear device or the fissionable materials it might be hiding. It would set in motion a logic of counteraction by a humiliated Kim Jong Il and set off an emotional response in South Korea that could prove much more destabilizing than what a test launch might have done.
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