[AntiGuv]

I am saying that if North Korea is hellbent on declaring itself a nuclear power, then it will happen. The sooner people come to terms with that, the happier they will be.

There will be no 'preemptive' strike, not least because we've already permitted the North Koreans to move the plutonium which we would've stricken...

There is no devious Bush 'strategery' afoot, because there are no meaningful options to work with. There will be a negotiated resolution of some sort or other, by whatever route the various parties figure out.

I'll be quite shocked with any other outcome..

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #22

If that happens, that will be the end of NPT and the beginning of nuclear East Asia. All countries including S. Korea, Taiwan, and Japan will have nukes in a short order.

Very bad news to America, China, and Russia. This will open the foodgate for aspiring nuclear power of various sizes all over the world. In that sense, N. Korean crisis has the world-wide implications if it is allowed to develop nukes despite international pressure. N. Korea will be a distinct example that even a bankrupt backward country can shove big powers and acquire nukes if it is determined enough.