WITH all that is going on in the Middle East, it is sometimes easy to forget that other parts of the world are even more volatile than some of the situations that exist here. The recent outrageously belligerent behavior on the part of North Korea is a prime example. We concern ourselves with Iran's nuclear program understandably because Iran is virtually next door and it is vying to become a military power in the region, far beyond what is healthy for any country here. But the saber-rattling of North Korea in recent weeks goes far beyond what Iran is allegedly threatening to do. North Korea's recent test of a missile, which failed, was clearly an attempt to instill fear in the countries surrounding it. It followed that up with an underground nuclear test that was in complete violation of international agreements regarding nuclear testing. Analyses of that test have come out recently claiming that it was more likely a way of alienating the world so as to prevent the international community from having any influence on what looks to be a coming succession of power in Pyongyang. Whether that is true or not is irrelevant. A government led by some of the most unstable leaders on earth is showing off its potential nuclear capabilities and has followed up that display with a threat to attack South Korea, an action that would bring military action from both the West and, quite possibly, the powers that are close to North Korea, China and Russia. Nothing would be better for Asia and the rest of the world than for the government of North Korea to fall and be replaced by a government that would be accepted internationally so that the people of North Korea would be able to develop in a way that the Kim regime has made impossible for decades. The control of information has been so tight that the people have no idea what is occurring in the rest of the world. As always, an educated population is the best defense against tyranny. __
