How's That "Smart Power" Working Out?

Jan 13, 2009 - Hillary Clinton vowed to restore American leadership through "smart power" diplomacy.

May 27, 2009 - After detonating a nuclear weapon and firing ground to sea missiles, North Korea announced it would no longer abide by the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War and threatened a military response to any South Korean participation in a U.S.-led program to interdict and seize weapons of mass destruction headed to North Korea.

“The Korean People’s Army will not be bound to the Armistice Agreement any longer,” the official Korean Central News Agency announced. Attempts to stop and inspect North Korean vessels will be countered with “prompt and strong military strikes.” South Korea’s military said it will “deal sternly with any provocation” from North Korea.

Japan’s Cabinet Secretary, Takeo Kawamura, called on North Korea to “refrain from taking actions that would elevate tensions in Asia.” He must have studied at Hillary's knee.

“This rapid-fire provocation indicates a more aggressive shift in the Kim Jong Il regime,” said Ryoo Kihl Jae, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. “Kim is obviously using a strategy of maximum force.”

I guess Kim Jong Il is NOT using "smart power". Of course, he has been smarter than the last three administrations.