Kitty Hawk Deployment Raises Stakes in Korean Peninsula

Washington has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk to monitor North Korea. The move comes as the United States is preparing for a war with Iraq and pushing to send the North Korean nuclear issue to the United Nations Security Council. The movement of the aircraft carrier sends a clear signal that Washington will be ready should North Korea step out of line while the United States is focusing on Iraq. But Pyongyang will see it as proof of Washington's hostile intent, leaving the surrounding nations to work even harder to control tensions.