According to the NYT, the U.S., in a Shift, Is Willing to Talk With North Korea About A-Arms. This is good news, in the sense that it marks a step forward from the incoherent response we’ve seen so far from the Administration. On the other hand, the fact that there seems to be no alternative to buying these guys off is bad news. Coming back to the good news, only a government that’s already driven its population into destitution by a lunatic policy of autarky* and maintains absolutely closed borders would be as invulnerable to pressure as North Korea, so perhaps there won’t be too much of a precedent.

What this all means for Iraq is anybody’s guess.

* I had “autarchy” which is also correct for the DPRK, but not what I meant. Thanks to PM Lawrence for picking this up. Another entry for the “modern thought” blog, perhaps?