The run-around runs aground-for now-in North Korea talks
■"U.S. and North Korea Blame Each Other for Stalemate in Talks: 'We still have a lot of work to do, but I think there is progress," by Jim Yardley, New York Times, 8 August 2005, p. A4.
North Korea springs a new last-minute demand on the U.S. (the right to use light-water reactors) at the just-suspended talks and that's blamed for mucking up the works.
Yes, yes, if not for that then we easily lock in Kim to a sound and just agreement.
My opinion: North Korea will dick around for as long as possible, until the Chinese can't take anymore. Then they'll agree to something vague and immediately go about breaking the deal in secret, hoping not to be caught for quite some time.
China will abide by all this because it's ambitions here, given the fact that the U.S. offers it nothing of value to do more, are just to be seen like a trusted diplomatic player while getting this issue off the table for a while.
There is simply no incentive for Kim to give up the game that we're willing to play-and we shouldn't.
Scratching the right itch for China remains another question, but apparently one the Bush Administration has no intention of answering on their watch.