North Korea can’t hit America, but South Korea and Japan in Range

Jack Kim / Reuters

North Korea has plenty of military firepower even if its threat this week of a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the United States is a hollow one, with South Korea most at risk from the isolated regime’s artillery and rockets.

 

White House: U.S. Can Defend Against North Korea Attack

Matthew Pennington and Josh Lederman /AP

The U.S. is fully capable of defending itself against a North Korean ballistic missile attack, the White House said Thursday, after Pyongyang threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the United States

 

U.N. Security Council approves new sanctions against North Korea for latest nuclear test

Associated Press

The U.N. Security Council responded swiftly to North Korea’s latest nuclear test by punishing the reclusive regime Thursday with tough, new sanctions targeting its economy and leadership, despite Pyongyang’s threat of a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the United States.

 

N. Korea Threatens ‘Nuclear Strike’

Joohee Cho / ABC News

The U.N. Security Council today brushed off a threat by North Korea to launch a “pre-emptive nuclear strike” and voted to impose tough new sanctions on the country as punishment for its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile program.

 

In Study, Past Decade Ranks Among Hottest

Gautam Naik / the Wall Street Journal

New research suggests average global temperatures were higher in the past decade than over most of the previous 11,300 years, a finding that offers a long-term context for assessing modern-day climate change.

 

Large rise in CO2 emissions sounds like climate change alarm

John Vidal / The Guardian

The chances of the world holding temperature rises to 2C – the level of global warming considered “safe” by scientists reporting the second-greatest annual rise in CO2 emissions in 2012.

 

On Our Flashpoint Blog

 

Four Statesmen: Next Steps in Reducing Nuclear Risks

Katharyn Nicolle

Kissinger, Nunn, Perry, and Shultz, now in their fifth Wall Street Journal op-ed, continue to highlight the dangers of an oversized nuclear arsenal in “Next Steps in Reducing Nuclear Risks.”

 

UN Imposes Additions North Korea Sanctions

Mary Kaszynski

The UN Security Council has voted to impose sanctions against Norh Korea in response to last month’s nuclear test. The sanctions, intended to hinder North Korea’s weapons programs, impose financial and travel restrictions on dipolmats and individuals associated with DPRK military.

Living with Uncertainty in the defense industry

August Cole

The defense budget can be cut responsibly, but sequester is not the right way to do it. A strategic approach to funding the military is needed now more than ever, even if it is increasingly difficutlt to take this long-term approach given the near-term political fights.