Defying the United Nations and international good will North Korea last night launched a rocket with capabilities of reaching the western coast of the United States. President Obama called it a “provocative act” with which North Korea has “further isolated itself from the community of nations.”

North Korea claims to have launched a satellite into earth orbit, something yet to be confirmed. For a nation that cannot feed it population such an action defies reasonable thought.

The Korean Peninsula may prove to be the Balkans of Asia, a flashpoint for larger power confrontation in the future. Japan, China and the United States are deeply troubled by these actions. North Korea is a rogue state, an ‘X’ factor in global politics. No one can really curb their actions, which could lead to bigger problems.