I s it just possible that the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is making wild warlike threats against South Korea and the United States because his generals have misled him about the potential of the weapons at his disposal -- perhaps in a misguided attempt to ingratiate themselves with a new and inexperienced leader?
Unlikely, I suppose, but on the other hand how can Kim Jong-un's behaviour be explained? Some astute observers believe that his tactics are similar to those employed by his father of causing trouble to gain some diplomatic and economic advantage. In Mr Kim's case the objectives might be the ending of sanctions, bigger food and aid programmes and perhaps a peace treaty with the United States. But if something of this kind is indeed Mr Kim's intention he is going about it in a most extraordinary and dangerous way, even for an almost totally untested leader. China's statement yesterday of serious concern about the situation on the Korean peninsular and more widely and its call for it to be defused mutually was important; any kind of military action is the last thing China wants on its borders. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a South Korean, will need to be careful over any intervention he makes but his comments yesterday that the crisis has gone too far and that nuclear threats are not a game were justified.
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