(CNN) -- March brought us a series of what pundits like to call "provocations" by North Korea. On closer inspection, Pyongyang has opted for rhetoric over actual military actions. While Kim Jong Un's pursuit of nuclear and missile capability remains worrisome, escalating signals of resolve could suggest nervousness as much as strength. So, is the regime in trouble? The first round of saber-rattling came as the U.N. Security Council deliberated on a new sanctions resolution after North Korea's satellite launch in December and its third nuclear test in February. The Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a party organ dealing with North-South relations began putting out public statements in an effort to chip away at the institutions of the armistice, such as military hot lines and the stationing of a North Korean military mission in Panmunjom.
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Stephan Haggard: North Korea is mostly bluffing in its threats against South Korea
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Haggard: Escalating signals of resolve suggest nervousness as much as strength
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He says Kim Jong Un may not have fully consolidated his authority
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Haggard: As a result, some of the rhetoric could be driven by domestic politics
North Korea's bluster had little if any effect on the @placeholder debate.