North Korea's launching of a rocket has, despite its apparent failure to put a satellite into orbit, provided a new headache for US President Barack Obama as he formulates his policy towards the unpredictable totalitarian state. "The launch served a dual function," said Dr John Swenson-Wright of the think-tank Chatham House, who is based in South Korea. "It would like to have placed a satellite in orbit, but it also wanted to make a successful rocket launch, and initial data suggests that this might have been partially successful." He says North Korea was flexing its military muscles. "This was also a political and diplomatic initiative, to show that the leadership is still in control after [President] Kim Jong-il's reported stroke... and it takes advantage of the new American president to strengthen its position. "Its bottom line is to say: 'We are here and we matter and we act in our national interest'."
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