Pyongyang's Ballistic Bluff

Frances Weaver — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:51:45 +0100

Author:Emanuele Ottolenghi

Since conducting a third nuclear test in February, North Korea has been escalating its rhetoric and actions ever closer to the brink. Suddenly, the possibility of a second Korean war appears real — except this time nuclear weapons will not be lurking in the distant background, as the ultimate superpower instrument of dissuasion. Such a threat demands prudence, which may be part of the reason why the North feels cocky about its bellicose posture.

Experts have been poring over the details of the latest crisis, predicting that North Korea is threatening to escalate its nuclear capacity to extract concessions. But is this just a bluff?

Why Was There No Holy Roman Project?

Frances Weaver — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:21:33 +0100

Author:David Abulafia

The Emperor strikes back: "Napoleon on the field of Eylau" (1807) by Antoine-Jean Gros (detail)

Who said: "It must therefore remain the objective of our struggle to create a unified Europe, but Europe can only be given a coherent structure through Germany"? It was not one of the founders of the current "European project" but Adolf Hitler, who also opined that "whoever controls Europe will thereby seize the leadership of the world".

International

Pyongyang's Ballistic Bluff

Why Was There No Holy Roman Project?