The North Korean situation continues to evolve as North Korea readies for a missile test. The US intelligence believes that the North Korean missiles are liquid-fueled which means that it is likely that the missiles will be fired within a few days (the US and other states use solid-fueled missiles which don’t need to be fired quickly–liquid fuel evaporates rapidly and it is a “use-it-or-lose-it situation”). Everything now depends on where the missiles are pointed. If it doesn’t appear as if it is targeted toward or near US or allied forces, then I suspect that nothing immediate will happen. If, however, it flies close to a vital target, the US, Japan, or South Korea will likely shoot it down. That will lead to a further confrontation.
Margaret Thatcher (or, “The Iron Lady”, as Mikhail Gorbachev called her) has dies and many are mourning her passing. It is appropriate to mourn the passing of a fellow human being, but, for many, Thatcher was a hero. I will confess that I do not fall into that category. Thatcher introduced some harsh reforms into the British economy, most notably the crushing of the coal miners union. “Thatcherism” is synonymous to neo-liberalism, the “Washington Consensus,” and, in the current jargon, austerity. Thus, I was very surprised to read in the German magazine, Der Spiegel, comments critical of her policies. Who knows? Many the Germans can be persuaded to relax some of their policies toward the economically weak eurozone states.
The controversy over the use of drones got more complicated today with the release of a report that suggests that US targeting of al-Qaeda militants is less precise than has been asserted by the US government. I’m not sure that this report will actually settle things, but it offers additional information to ponder.
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