North Korea's nuclear test

This is indeed an alarming development for the region since considerable distrust and hostilities are in existence between countries of East Asia.

On a different note, it is also reflective of the failure of diplomacy and diplomatic maneuverings of that select group of powerful nations of the world who were unable to dissuade North Korea from taking the nuclear course. Surely, one cannot go on threatening countries with sanctions whenever confronted with states that are either planning to go or have gone nuclear. It should be remembered that sanctions basically affect the innocent citizens of the country in general and often end in gaining additional public support for the regime in question.

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It appears that time has come for a change in the strategy for dealing with such emerging issues with countries engaged in empowering themselves by developing nuclear warheads. The key factor of that strategy should be based, amongst others, on equality, honesty, fair play and justice. What is needed is an in-depth understanding of the psyche of the people before embarking on any strategic or tactical moves.

We, in Bangladesh, are concerned about the developments in North Korea and its ramifications for the region and possible long-term consequences in the race for military supremacy globally. We strongly recommend that the six-nation negotiating team be activated once again to engage North Korea in deescalating its nuclear propensities.