I’ve spent a lot of time over the past several years pooh-poohing the dire warnings that periodically emerge from the mouths of American big-shots regarding the peril posed by North Korea, so that state’s claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb doesn’t come as a pleasant surprise.
If North Korea in fact doesn’t have a hydrogen bomb—a question that apparently won’t be answered for some time, well, all is well and good. If not, this clearly puts pressure—a lot of pressure—on China to get its act together. China finds North Korea “useful” because it doesn’t want to share a border with an obstreperous, united, capitalistic Korea, which would provide Chinese dissidents with a convenient shelter. As it is now, if you want to get out of China, you’re likely to end up in either Russia or North Korea, neither of which are considered tourist attractions.
The Chinese economy has not been precisely tearing up the pea patch these days, which gives them real incentive to get along with both South Korea and Japan, as well as the United States. China would surely not welcome an increased military presence in South Korea by the United States, or a military buildup by Japan.
UPDATE
“Everyone” is now saying that North Korea’s latest explosion wasn’t a fusion device. Well, everyone wants attention. We just don’t all know how to get it.
