Decoding the Korean Peninsula Missile Rhetoric
Fiery rhetoric between North Korea and the U.S. adds risks to Korean peninsula tensions, but should not cause panic.
Outside players should maximise the potential benefit of an established pattern of de-escalation in the fall.
They – and Pyongyang – should also back South Korea’s offers of dialogue.
North Korea once again captured the world’s attention when it boldly warned that it is ready to fire missiles over Japan toward the U.S. territory of Guam.
The unusually specific and unacceptable North Korean declaration rattled governments in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington.
But Pyongyang’s real target is not Guam, but to ensure it remains at the centre of the conversation.
In this it has been significantly aided and abetted by U.S. President Donald Trump, who took with gusto to the unwise practice of trading direct threats with the Kim…