Airstrip One

On the other side of the world

Some of the more regular readers may be wondering why there's so little sneering about the North Korean situation. This is certainly not down to some misplaced attack of humility or pity.

It's more to do with scepticism. While it would be tempting to carp on about the fact that the West is in the process of preparing an invasion of Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction while North Korea gets economic aid despite having actual-factual nuclear weapons. However this will not be done.

This wide open goal will be missed for one reason, and one reason only. The North Koreans simply can't don't have missiles that can get over to Europe, and if I were worried about a terrorist blowing up a nuclear bomb in Westminster I would be more concerned with half starving Siberian scientists.

If I were Japanese I'd be seriously contemplating whether the war on terror was the best use of Western resources.