Kim Jong-un Isn’t the Only New Kid on the Block

Almost 100 years ago, it took no more than an “incident” — the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary — to ignite World War I in which 10 million died. Much as that event pulled in allies from all over Europe, and ultimately the United States, here we are again waiting to see if another “incident” (or much worse) between the two Koreas could set off a conflagration that would pull the United States, South Korea’s decades-long protector, into yet another war.

There’s an unusual confluence that adds to the risk — the “wet behind the ears” inexperience of all the players except Obama is less than reassuring. Consider:

» President Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China -- in office, as of today, for a total of 34 days.

» Premier Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the North Korean Military — in office, as of today, for a total of 11 months.

» President of the Republic of Korea, Park Geun-hye — in office, as of today, for a total of 51 days.

» Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe — in office, as of today, for a total of 111 days. (True, it's his second time around).

» Secretary of State of the U.S., John Kerry — in office, as of today, for a total of 76 days.

» Secretary of Defense of the U.S., Charles Hagel — in office, as of today, for a total of 49 days.

» Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan — in office, as of today, for a total of 41 days.

The aggregate "time at the helm" of the above seven key people is a mere 19 months. Of course they are not alone, and of course they have experienced advisors, but they are the ones who call the shots. Here’s hoping that all hold fire.