Asia Times Online

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Asia Times Online

Washington moves to checkmate Pyongyang

The United States latest gambit to cool tensions on the Korean Peninsula is to threaten North Korea with a naval blockade, which would devastate the nations already moribund economy. The Hermit Kingdom vows to strike back and, with China, Russia and South Korea against any blockade, Washington might have to settle for a draw.- Alan Boyd

Ominous removal of American tripwire

The rationale for stationing US troops near the Demilitarized Zone had been that they would serve as a tripwire in case North Korea attacked the South. But the decision to reposition those US troops has left pundits wondering whether the third member of the "axis of evil" might now be at the top of the Washington hit list.

North Korea throws the dice, again

Like a gambler who keeps betting double or nothing even though he loses on every throw of the dice, Pyongyang has issued a declaration that it is building nuclear weapons. Stephen Blank examines the regimes motives in the ongoing multi-power minuet in and around the Korean Peninsula - and whether the Hermit Kingdom has put itself on a collision course with just about everyone.

US military in East Asia: Winds of change

As the clamor over reports that the United States is considering plans to restructure its military forces in East Asia causes anxiety among both allies and rivals in the region, pundits wonder what message the US really wants to send to Pyongyang and Seoul. - Ralph A Cossa