A newly minted cooperation between North Korea and Russia is causing consternation in Western capitols. (The Hill)

The newly burgeoning relationship between North Korea and Russia is giving America pause as non Western aligned nations are now working together in lockstep in a region dominated by China. Many of these nations are openly hostile to America or the West in general and together they from a potent adversary to American interests in the region. The US has all hands on deck trying to deter China from broadening its influence in the region surrounding the South China Sea and now is grappling with yet another potential crises that Vladimir Putin is trying to engineer.