What's In A Word? Part II

In regards to yesterday’s post, Hayden appears not only to be talking to the Americans, but also to the North Koreans. If the rumors are accurate that DPRK’s Kim Kye Gwan asked USA’s Christopher Hill in New York in March to treat North Korea the way the United States treats India (recognize its nuclear weapons and still cooperate with it), then Hayden may have been offering an answer. By saying North Korea’s nuclear test was not successful and North Korea is not a nuclear power, Hayden has effectively told Pyongyang that the United States has no intention to treat the DPRK like India, reinforcing what Hill told Kim at their New York meeting. Washington does not consider North Korea a nuclear power yet. It will not accept North Korea as a formal nuclear power. This means that, for North Korea, destruction of the existing nuclear devices is a must for diplomatic relations with the United States. And this may be an untenable position for Pyongyang. Meaning that, no matter what progress in thee current round of six party talks, there is little agreement on the ultimate outcome, and trouble is coming – though that trouble may not manifest until the next U.S. president takes office.