Ominous turn on path to nuclear-armed North Korea

North Korea tests a ballistic missile in December 2012. The three-stage rocket could be capable of delivering a warhead to Alaska or the West Coast of the United States. /Image via AP


The path to a nuclear-armed North Korea took another turn this week, with the U.N. tightening sanctions and threatening "to take significant action in the event of a further launch or nuclear test," and North Korea in turn threatening new nuclear tests.

North Korean saber-rattling at any provocation should be expected, as should Pyongyang's continued drive to develop ballistic missiles tipped with nuclear warheads. The most significant action of this latest showdown between North Korea and the international community is China agreeing to sign Tuesday's U.N. resolution. What, if anything, China will do if North Korea builds nuclear missiles is hard to predict. But in this round of the diplomatic sparring match over North Korea's nuclear capabilities, the Chinese have strengthened the hand of countries that are trying to block its longtime ally's top military ambition.

This global security flashpoint is getting hotter and hotter.