Iran And North Korea United?

According to a recent article in the The Christian Science Monitor, it seems clear that the Iranians and the North Koreans are teaming up, to some degree, to take on the free world. But whether they are working in conjunction with one another or simply monitoring each others efforts and weighing successes seems to be a matter of some debate. We know that North Korea has sold missile technology to the Iranians, and possibly even some nuclear expertise, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence that the two countries are discussing ways to work together in the pursuit of evil. At least, not yet.

A few weeks ago, while North Korea sat in darkness, Iran was pushing hard for uranium enrichment, finally gaining some concessions from the West if they are willing to abandon their nuke programs. The Iranians have said that they would like to wipe out Israel, and they seem to be working with Syria even more. Earlier this week, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he would visit Iran to pursue weapons deals because "Venezuela needs weapons to fend off a U.S. invasion" (Guardian story). Right.

Now it's North Korea's turn to be a nuisance, as they have fueled-and reportedly aimed at the U.S.-a missile that could reach Japan, and possibly the U.S. mainland. Japan has warned the North Koreans that testing such a missile will have serious consequences, and even U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan seems concerned. The U.S. and Japan have been running military exercises off of the coast of Guam, and will do so again off the coast of Hawaii next week. The DoD recently ran a successful missile defense test, and the general consensus is that we could knock a North Korean missile out of the sky, if necessary. Failing to do so, however, would not be a good thing.

A pre-emptive strike is possible, as the Reformed Chicks Blabbing point out, but then what? The North Koreans have an updated anti-aircraft defenses, thanks to China and Russia, no doubt. And we certainly aren't prepared to wage ground war there. "If the U.S. imperialists set another fire of war ... our army and people will finally settle our battle with the U.S. by mercilessly crushing and sweeping out the aggressors," said a report by the official Korean Central News Agency. Their position seems clear. And this doesn't help.

We blew this one years ago, with both Iran and North Korea. And now we seem to be running out of time. And options.