North Korea’s Newfound Confidence Is a Dangerous Thing
The isolated regime is seeking to exploit a fractured geopolitical landscape, increasing the nuclear threat in the process.
New friends.
Photographer: Contributor/Getty Images EuropeThe split in the global community over Ukraine and China has been a gift to North Korea. It is increasingly clear that Pyongyang has been emboldened by the formation of a new anti-US bloc, prompting it to reach out to Beijing and Moscow.
The reignited closeness between North Korea and Russia this week — as evidenced by the luxury armored train carrying Kim Jong Un to a meeting with Vladimir Putin — is a natural partnership. It’s being called a summit of the “anti-West,” a hangover from the Cold War. There is an important difference: Beijing is in the background but is a much bigger player in this reshaped geopolitical triangle.
Sharing handshakes and denouncing “imperialism,” the two leaders of these isolated states drew each further into the other’s orbit. The face-to-face meeting may have ended with few details of what was discussed, but it is just the start of their renewed cooperation. And it is a common enemy that has drawn them closer.