North Korea is out of the news right now. That's no big surprise seeing as there is a presidential election going on, but according to Steven den Beste that's pretty typical of foreign policy during times of change, and he makes a prediction:

The original reason the NK's began to kick up a fuss was the hope that they could get a sweet deal in order to shut them up while we were busy in Iraq. This year they're hoping to get bought off before the election. But Bush isn't going to do that.

The NK's hope that if they don't get bought off, they can make themselves an issue in the election campaign and help get Bush defeated. Then, perhaps, a Democratic administration might be more inclined to return to a policy of appeasement. Their potential to affect the campaign is the reason they hope Bush will capitulate and buy them off.

The only way the US can "make progress" in the short term is by making a particularly generous offer, but that isn't going to happen while Bush is president. Absent American capitulation, there will be "progress" only if the NK or the PRC want progress.

Thus nothing important will happen until after this presidential election is settled, one way or the other.

Diplomacy takes a breather, but oppression keeps on truckin'. Please don't forget to write your representative or senator and tell them to lead their chamber in the call to condemn NK for human rights violations.