CONNECTIONS

Reader Steve Quick writes in wondering about possible connections between what we do vis a vis Iraq, and how the North Korean respond. For instance, today two interesting things happened: the US and the UK offered up a new UN resolution aimed at placing a hard deadline on Iraqi disarmament, and on the other side of the world, North Korea test-fired an anti-ship missile into the Sea of Japan. Coincidence? Not likely, though there are other events that probably have as much to do with NK's move today than Iraq. For one, South Korea inaugurated a new president, and the missile was Pyongyang's little way of welcoming him to his nightmare. For another, Secretary of State Powell was at the inauguration of South Korea's new president, and is in Asia on a support drive. So you can pretty much stick your hand up in the air and whatever you catch is likely somehow connected to today's missile launch in North Korea.

Having said that, there do seem to have been some coincidences in the timing of events with regard to Iraq and within North Korea over the past few months. I honestly don't know if there's a connection between the two beyond their status as two legs of the axis of evil. It could be the "ultimate suicide bomber" scenario that Mansoor Ijaz wrote about the other day--North Korea and Iraq are somehow tied into al Qaeda's next big hit, and Pyongyang could be sabre rattling on Saddam's behalf. Whatever it turns out to be, there's little question that once Iraq is taken care of (supposing we actually do anything more than sick Hans Blix on them), North Korea at least *thinks* it's next on the hit list and is trying to intimidate us into leaving it alone. And giving it buckets more money and barrels more oil, and finishing up those reactors that Clinton promised them.