Kissinger speaks to the dangers of allowing North Korea to go nuclear.  He outlines a compelling case that diplomacy is becoming increasingluy nothing more than a tactic that is being manipulated by North Korea as it continues its march towards becoming a full blown nuclear power.

Kissinger also, I think rather eloquently, describes the consequences of what this means with respect to the Iranian nuclear question and the larger implications of nuclear proliferation.   In fact, he lays down what I perceive as a precursor to what will soon be an essential need to establish a new strategy of deterrence for a world of multiple nuclear power states and the associated problem of non-state terrorist organizations. 

I have written before about the need for what I would consider "extended deterrence" in the face of a proliferation regime that is so tattered as to be impotent in practice and nearly impotent in rhetoric.  The debate over the shape of this deterrence should begin now rather than weak attempts at breathing life into a moribund treaty that exists in paper and not in spirit.

In the shadows of the North Korean nuclear program is the newly emerging stage on which a new and dangerous game must be played.  The "Golden Age of Proliferation" will tax security experts and political leaders for years to come.