After new N. Korea missile test, U.S. says has military options

[TomCADem]

12. I Can See North Korea Launching a Test Missile at Guam...

...if Trump and company continue to egg North Korea on. Remember when North Korea was threatening to do this, but didn't? It was probably because the U.S. said that we are not going to take North Korea's word that it is a test missile and we will treat such a test as a hostile attack and respond appropriately.

Well, the brinksmanship will come when North Korea announces to the world that it is going to fire a test missile, and then let the U.S. initiate live fire. North Korea is trying to goad the U.S. into acting as the aggressor in order to isolate the U.S.'s influence in the region. This is also consistent with Russia and China's goals as well.

Of course, by backing out of TPP, and raising tensions with regional allies like Australia, South Korea, as well as Philippines and China, Trump is playing right into North Korea, China and Russia's hands.

Once again, the end game is to get Trump and company to do something stupid like launching a series of cruise missiles at North Korea, which will then be met with an artillery bombardment of Seoul or roughly the same proportion. The risk is that this escalates to World War III. The upside for North Korea, China, and Russia, if they are successful is that the U.S.'s influence in the region will wane as the US will not longer be seen as a trustworthy partner, and damage U.S. relations with Pacific Rim countries.