The timing of North Korea’s latest nuclear test is smarter than it looks
What made North Korea decide to conduct its fifth nuclear test last Friday? No doubt because Pyongyang believed that China would allow Kim Jong Un to get away with it. Again.
After Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test in January, the UN Security Council signed off on the toughest UN sanctions against North Korea to date. Beijing, a permanent council member long frustrated by its neighbor and virtually its only trading partner, seemed to have signed off on a package of tough measures indeed.
Those sanctions included bans on key North Korean exports, though with a vaguely worded exception for “livelihood purposes.” The measures specifically targeted extractives like coal and iron ore, which North Korea leans on heavily for revenues.… Seguir leyendo »