Nuclear North Korea

Analysis operating under the wrong set of assumptions:

North Korea has shown itself extremely adept at the game of nuclear bluff. It has provoked three previous nuclear crises, in 1994, 2002 and 2006, aimed at raising the stakes at the six-party talks and winning more pledges of economic aid and fuel oil deliveries. These new developments suggest that, whatever the health of the Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il, the regime as a whole has not lost its taste for brinkmanship.(1)

Many governments under U.S. threat must have seriously thought about developing nuclear weapons after the Iraq War. The U.S. has toppled numerous opponents over the last few decades, either overtly or covertly, and now endorses the concept of offensive war. This is the basis for North Korean nuclear development, not 'brinkmanship' or the desire for 'aid'. Judging by how fast their latest reactor got built, it seems they are already have access to quite enough aid , possibly from China.

1' North Korea's uranium plant sends a chilling message to Washington' - UK Guardian
2'US envoy heads to Seoul to discuss North Korea's nuclear activity' - UK Guardian