I just read something that connects seemingly disconnected dots: the destruction of U.S. radars in the Middle East is reconfiguring the defensive balance in places like South Korea, and that is accelerating North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Let's see how this works. The United States lost four of its eight most advanced defense systems after Iranian attacks. They are not easy to replace; we're talking about infrastructure worth billions that barely exist in the world. The logical consequence was that Washington had to reinforce its defenses in the Middle East, but that meant weakening other critical areas.

That's where South Korea comes in. The THAAD system that was deployed on the peninsula to intercept North Korean missiles before reaching Seoul is being partially dismantled. They are also considering moving Patriot batteries and other defensive systems to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. For any analyst, this is a gift served on a silver platter for Pyongyang.

Kim Jong Un's interpretation of all this is quite clear: if the United States cannot keep its global defense network intact, then the only real guarantee of survival is to have its own nuclear weapons. And look at what's happening: North Korea is accelerating its military program. They just showcased the Choe Hyon destroyer, a 5,000-ton vessel capable of launching over 100 missiles, including strategic armament. The plan is to build at least ten ships of this class.

What’s troubling is that this is not an isolated conflict. A destroyed radar in Jordan ends up altering the nuclear balance in South Korea. China watches every move, Russia maintains its alliance with the North, and the United States tries to hold multiple fronts simultaneously. The question no one wants to ask aloud is how long it can do so without fully compromising its global defense capability.

This is what they call a domino effect in international security. Conflicts no longer have clear borders. And if you check the Doomsday Clock, that symbol that measures how close we are to self-destruction, you'll see it recently marked 85 seconds to midnight. It is the closest to apocalypse that clock has ever registered since its creation in 1947.