KOREA: On the Brink of War

Smoke rises from South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island after a North Korean shelling

In the most serious escalation of military conflict since the Korean War ended in 1953, North Korean artillery bombarded a South Korean island. The action prompted return fire from South Korea. Two South Korean soldiers were killed, and 15 wounded, along with several civilian injuries.

Iran's Nuclear Program - What Will Israel Do?

Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant

Russia will deliver nuclear fuel to Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant on Saturday, August 21st. Former UN Ambassador John Bolton has said that Israel has [now less than] "three days" to stop the Iranian reactor from going online.

Israel has bombed nuclear programs in the past, although Iran is much farther away than the previous operations were. If Israel does something about Bushehr, there will be serious consequences, including the great possibility of a retaliatory attack by Iran, perhaps also including attacks on American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 1981, the Israeli Air Force bombed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor, crippling it. Iraq lost French help with their nuclear program shortly thereafter, and the Iraqi nuclear program was forced underground.

In 2007, Israel struck a secret Syrian nuclear reactor, which was built with North Korean help. Syria denied the attack, and the reactor, but satellite shows that they attempted to erase evidence of both at the site.

This brings me to another thought, dealing with North Korea. If Israel strikes at Iran's nuclear facilities, there will be great chaos in the region, perhaps all-out war. With the current turmoil between North and South Korea, what will North Korea do?

Only time will tell for both.