As the world continues to prepare for some sort of global conflict to come, nations near and far are checking their peripherals to see who is lining up next to them.
For the most part the lines are drawn down the predictable fissures: China and Russia look to dominate the “axis of evil” role, bolstered by Belarus, Saudi Arabia, and maybe Hungary, while the freedom loving governments of the US, NATO, the west, and more continue to gather allies for the coming trouble.
Over on the sidelines, a bit too wacky and potent for the Russia-China alliance, lies North Korea: The despotic hermit kingdom that apparently has nuclear weapons, but whose citizens are so poor that they harvest grass from city parks to eat as “salad” for dinner.
This week, the DPRK was attempting to get a little more attention than usual.
North Korea test-launched a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile and two shorter-range weapons into the sea Wednesday, South Korea said, hours after President Joe Biden ended a trip to Asia where he reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defend its allies in the face of the North’s nuclear threat.
The test was a rather significant one.
If confirmed, it would be North Korea’s first ICBM launch in about two months. Breaking its 2018 moratorium on long-distance launches, North Korea in March claimed to have test-launched its longest-range missile as part of its development of functioning nuclear-armed missiles that can reach the American homeland.
North Korea has long played the role of the world’s provocateur, sending off these unsolicited missile tests sometimes several times throughout the year in an effort to get the world’s attention.
In this case, the message may have been two-fold, offering not only a slight warning to the United States, but also a bit of a wink and nod to Russia and China, perhaps in an attempt to remind them that North Korea is no stranger to erratic and dangerous behavior either.
