Is North Korea merely acting out a ruse? Are there more sinister forces at work?

Is there a bigger and unseen picture with regards to North Korea and her dogged determination to build nuclear weapons; even when doing so would cripple her economy?

North Korea has been, and continues to be to this day, a failed economy in just about every sense of the word. (The average monthly salary per capita is only about $47)!  Her population lives at a subsistence level while the leadership pursues hi-tech weapons of mass destruction! There is absolutely no evidence that any of the research done there was ever aimed at peaceful nuclear power development. But, why continue down this road? Why would a government who oversees a population of over 24 million citizens continue to walk down such a mutually destructive path?

In my mind, there are two possible answers; 1) the leadership is truly insane, in which case nothing can be done; and 2) there are other forces are at play to which the Western World is not privy. I would contend that it is the latter at work here.

Just yesterday, Fox News reported that, ‘North Korea has moved a missile with "considerable range" to its east coast after an unnamed spokesman for the North Korean army warned the U.S. Wednesday that its military has been cleared to wage an attack using "smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear" weapons.’

Is it possible that there is collusion going on to which no one is aware? Could it be possible that North Korea is working closely with certain extremist Islamic elements to bring so-called suitcase nukes across our border from Mexico? Is that what North Korea is referring to when they cite ‘smaller, lighter & diversified nuclear weapons’?

I don’t know. But, more importantly, does anyone in the State Department?