Spoiling for a fight - North Korean edition

North Korea, and Kim Jong Il in particular, is the petulant little brat that always has to be the center of attention. When the brat perceives that something else has drawn focus away from them, a tantrum is sure to follow. This is what played out yesterday when NK decided to fire off seven missiles. Kim, little bitch that he is, could not stand all of the attention the US is paying Iran and their theoretical nuclear capabilities. So he launched his missiles and shifted world focus back to himself.

I am no expert on North Korea or behavioral science but this whole thing reeks of a childish fit of temper. Sometimes you can ignore these displays; sometimes not. A screaming meltdown is generally harmless until the kid picks up a hammer. Well Kim grabbed a huge hammer and started swinging, but I think this is going to backfire. First, South Korea, Japan, and China are super-pissed about this. Second, the missile that everyone worries most about, the long-range Taepodong-2, actually failed less than one minute into its flight. Third, the fact that he launched on Independence Day and after the shuttle liftoff was nothing more than salt on the wound. The Administration would not negotiate with Kim one on one before this incident. Being a stubborn as Bush is, they are sure as hell not going to do it now. If anything, the military option is now back in play. The U.N. is going to be hard pressed to let this go without some form of retribution. The pressure on China to not veto a powerful response from the Security Council is going to be enormous. This act of provocation may well galvanize support behind Washington’s position rather than isolate the US and push us into a standoff. Let’s hope that the Administration has its shit together on this and can bring China and the rest of the world into some kind of consensus on what to do.