North Korea Says Its Arms Will Deter U.S. Attack

After having been virtually silent since the US-led invasion of Iraq began, North Korea's government is once again proclaiming the right to protect itself against any US aggression. "The Iraqi war shows that to allow disarming through inspection does not help avert a war but rather sparks it," say the latest statement from Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry. "This suggests that even the signing of a nonaggression treaty with the U.S. would not help avert a war." This rhetoric could mean a full-on effort to develop nuclear weapons, and according to this article in The New York Times, the repercussions on US relations with Pyongyang will be far-reaching. "This is an earthquake that registers 15 on the Richter scale," says one American analyst. – YaleGlobal