Reality just changed. In an instant, North Korea upset the Asian status quo and clarified its nuclear intentions. It also provided a fleeting opportunity to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Will we seize the opportunity?

There is no undiscovered way to reform a criminal cartel that holds its own people in the worst forms of bondage. Kim Jong Il and his cadre gain nothing from cooperation and risk overthrow should they give up any degree of internal control. North Korea built its near-unassailable leverage on the foundation of its desperate people, a massive artillery establishment, missiles and now a confirmed nuclear capability. The situation is similar to armed criminals holding hostages.

Our options are now even more constrained. China, South Korea and Russia all fear a massive influx of refugees if North Korea should collapse. Japan is wary of North Korean nuclear weapons and historical animosity. Seoul has long been aware that it is within range of North Korean artillery and rockets. Every nation in Asia, but especially South Korea, wants to avoid the economic impact of a sudden, disorderly and costly collapse of North Korea. The future of North Korea is certain, only the timing remains open. None of our allies want to absorb any damage to hurry that future.

The U.S. lived with constraints before. Our first "Unipolar Moment" ended on June 25, 1950. An army that did not exist five years before very nearly pushed us off the Asian mainland. The Korean War introduced the unpleasant concept of limited war for limited aims to a nation still celebrating total war and unconditional surrender. Despite our superpower status, we faced limited options.

In the wake of these unpleasant discoveries, we focused on our friends — including many we had recently called enemies. The U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Security and Cooperation, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and other relationships gave substance to our security. They also showed commitment — economic, political and military — to our friends. It took time, but it led to the demise of communism.

The Kim cartel's nuclear detonation reminds us, once again, that the strength of our bilateral security alliances and our regional friendships are much more important, and a more effective instrument than unilateral confrontation of a committed and barricaded Kim regime. The Kim regime is no Soviet Union, certainly, but the issue is the same.

Improvements to our five Asian security treaties and other relationships are well within our reach. We must act quickly before we settle back into the status quo as support for sanctions erodes. It's time for some bold moves. One is already scheduled, but it is suffering from lack of imagination.

The U.S. and Japan announced an Alliance Transformation Realignment agreement in April 2006. The major provision is relocation of 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa, Japan, to new bases on Guam. Japan is paying the majority of the cost. This realignment, with the potential to transform the alliance and our strategic posture, has unfortunately been interpreted as a domestic political accommodation, thanks to the energetic efforts of one prefecture governor. His characterization is challenged only by silence. It's time to change the perception of this initiative.