TWO ON NORTH KOREA: North Korea is claiming it tested a hydrogen bomb today. My latest NY Observer essay, written after last week’s missile test, examines several military and diplomatic options with Pyongyang. This second essay, written in mid-August, also surveys options and provides some useful background. The Fat Kid did blink, but like the essay says, blinking isn’t retreat. If we can’t squeeze out the nukes, we’ll have to blast them out.

RELATED:North Korea’s nuclear weapons time line.