Not Just for Christmas

... any club, any expansion in membership results in a dilution in prestige. Of course, the Russian arsenal vastly exceeds that of North Korea in quality and quantity. But the mere fact of possession relatively reduces Russia’s own unique status. That North Korea was able to bypass the non-proliferation architecture — of which Russia is a joint-guarantor — and present its achievement as a fait accompli is all the more serious. True, North Korea is far from the first: India, Israel, Pakistan and South Africa have all, at one point,...