North Korea's Nuclear Bomb Test
(Reuters) - North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday in defiance of U.N. resolutions, drawing condemnation from around the world, including from its only major ally, China, which summoned the North Korean ambassador to protest.
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North Korea's nuclear bomb test is just one more step in a whole series of steps its has taken lately. It's even infuriated it's one ally in the whole world: China. But it's not just North Korea's activities that we should keep our eye on these days. All sorts of rumblings of war can be heard in various parts of Asia.
If Randolph Bourne was correct in his famous assessment - "War is the health of the State" - it looks as if we've got some pretty healthy states in Asia these days. The land dispute between China and Japan, after a bit of a cooling off, now heats up again. As if Japan didn't have its hands full with China, two Russian jets allegedly flew into their air space, prompting a protest. Finally, with China's bickering with Japan seems to have encouraged North Korea to press forward with its nuclear weapons program, even as China protests against it.
While none of these individual incidents appears like it can't - or at least shouldn't be able to - be resolved peacefully, with multiple players now at each other, the chances of a major confrontation increase. After all, no one really thought that Europe would engage in World War I until a Serbian nationalist shot a member of the ruling Austrian Hapsburg dynasty in 1914.
If war is indeed the health of the State, you'd have to say that the health of the State and your and my health are at odds here. But then politicians have always been the bravest of the brave when it comes to sending other people off to war.
More...
North Korea's nuclear bomb test is just one more step in a whole series of steps its has taken lately. It's even infuriated it's one ally in the whole world: China. But it's not just North Korea's activities that we should keep our eye on these days. All sorts of rumblings of war can be heard in various parts of Asia.
If Randolph Bourne was correct in his famous assessment - "War is the health of the State" - it looks as if we've got some pretty healthy states in Asia these days. The land dispute between China and Japan, after a bit of a cooling off, now heats up again. As if Japan didn't have its hands full with China, two Russian jets allegedly flew into their air space, prompting a protest. Finally, with China's bickering with Japan seems to have encouraged North Korea to press forward with its nuclear weapons program, even as China protests against it.
While none of these individual incidents appears like it can't - or at least shouldn't be able to - be resolved peacefully, with multiple players now at each other, the chances of a major confrontation increase. After all, no one really thought that Europe would engage in World War I until a Serbian nationalist shot a member of the ruling Austrian Hapsburg dynasty in 1914.
If war is indeed the health of the State, you'd have to say that the health of the State and your and my health are at odds here. But then politicians have always been the bravest of the brave when it comes to sending other people off to war.
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