China ‘threatening’ Asia’s security
TAIPEI: China is threatening Asia’s security by aiming missiles at Taiwan, boosting military spending and preparing for a possible conflict with US and Japanese forces, Taiwan’s leader said on Saturday.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_15-8-2004_pg4_6
U.S. pressing Russia over oil
By Peter Baker
Washington Post
MOSCOW - Alarmed by record-high election-year oil prices, President Bush in recent days has sent repeated appeals through intermediaries to the man he calls ``my good friend,'' President Vladimir Putin, asking him to calm the politically charged crisis surrounding Russia's giant Yukos Oil in the interest of settling down world energy markets.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/9400207.htm?1c
The problem as I see it is that NK has been labelled by GW as part of the "Axis of Evil" in that war. One of scenarios that makes sense to me is that it would be extremely desireable to move the troops out of the area if you were planning to turn the target area into a peninsula of glass. We've been worried that the NK's would get the weapons of mass destruction they crave, but have been somewhat soothed by their lack of a suitable delivery vehicle to reach our coastline. But if they have the nukes or are very close to getting them then a strike against our troops or the whole south of the country becomes much more credible. IOW, they don't need a huge ICBM to deliver the device just a few hundred miles. That's what is behind this sudden realignment IMHO.