© AP Photo/ U.S. Force Korea
The security situation has markedly deteriorated on the Korean Peninsula in recent days following the North's latest missile test, which Pyongyang antagonistically said was a drill for striking US bases in Japan in response to the latest US-South Korean military exercises that it rightly views as a sign of hostility.
These surprise launches prompted the Pentagon to
speed up its planned deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system to South Korea, which has drawn the immediate ire of
Russia and
China who previously warned that it would set the precedent for undercutting their nuclear second-strike deterrent and spy on their territories.
North Korea's latest moves have also led to talk in Japan for a
"first-strike option" to complement Tokyo's militant reinterpretation of its post-war (supposedly) pacifist constitution. Not to be outdone, the Trump Administration ominously reiterated that "all options are on the table", which Reuters
reports could include "a return of U.S. nuclear weapons to South Korea, and even pre-emptive air strikes on North Korean missile installations."
China has frantically sought to cool down the dangerously rising temperatures on the peninsula and kick start a new round of negotiations by wisely calling for the dual suspension of the North's nuclear and missile tests in exchange for the US and South Korea putting their joint military exercises on hold.
Comment: While the US establishment fights with Donald Trump, the Middle East and EU is increasingly looking towards Russia for a possible solution to the complex regional crisis. With the Syrian government victory in Aleppo, Palmyra under Russian supervision and steady advance of Iraqi army in Mosul, the world is very close to pushing ISIS out of power in Syria. Though lot more needs to be done before ISIS is completely defeated, this is a clear indication of change in power balance away from the uni-polar world controlled by United State. Don't expect this news to be found in Western mainstream #fakenews media.