The Burma-North Korea Axis

Even as the United States faces a multitude of challenges, both domestic and global, a New York Times opinion essay warns that leaders cannot afford to overlook trouble spots like Burma. All problems could look small indeed next to the threat of nuclear weapons in the hands of the junta ruling Burma. The regime is skilled at deceiving foreign watchers, such as long hiding renewed ties with North Korea, writes Aung Lynn Htut, an intelligence officer for Burma before detecting to the US in 2005. The junta seeks nuclear weapons to preserve power and makes secret deals on military cooperation with North Korea. Aung Lynn Htut warns that the Obama administration’s pragmatism in foreign policy is not an option for the most treacherous of states that focus only on military development. – YaleGlobal