The problem of North Korea has bedeviled policy makers in Washington for years. The notoriously opaque Stalinist state that sits above the 38th Parallel represents one of the world’s most intractable security dilemmas. Starting this spring, however, the challenge posed by Pyongyang has grown more acute. The defiant series of nuclear and ballistic tests carried out by Kim Jong Il in May has brought into sharp focus the growing threat posed by the North’s strategic arsenal—and precipitated a frenzy of international activity in response.

China, neighbors harden claims to Spratleys; CCP bugging cabs in Beijing

Beijing plans local administration overhaul; India voices more concern over PLA buildup

A new training ground for South Asian radicals;
Seoul, Tokyo respond to Pyongyang

Pyongyang makes the case for U.S. BMD; Curtains for KEI?; The growing ballistic missile threat; A new push to ban space weapons

Sweetening the pot for Pyongyang;
Are energy wars in Russia's future?

Carrots and sticks, North Korean style;
Sri Lanka's military presses its advantage

Visualizing the fruits of Russia's strategic modernization; The North Korean threat: the view from Moscow; Iron Dome inches forward; Navy missile defense comes of age; Japan reaches for the stars

Budgetary ax falls on Bush-era systems; Missile defense cooperation with Israel: continuity...; ...and change; A helping hand for North Korea; "Iron Dome" inches closer to reality

China and Russia finalize landmark cash-for-energy deal; South Africa bends to Beijing: Dalai Lama dis-invited