Well remember that both regimes have to play a political game with their domestic population. North Korea has to put up the image that the rest of the world is out to get them but they're the good guys. However, since they have to pretend to be good guys I'm hopeful that there can be a peaceful resolution in the future.
Cautiously optimistic sounds about right. Who knows, maybe his son finally took power and decided this whole war thing wasn't such a good idea.
Is using "Julian Assange is a Hillary butt plug" an acceptable signature quote?^ They've pulled the "we want to talk" bullshit after every major provocation of the last 4 years. Within a month of their first nuclear test it was "we want to talk" look how that went. Within 2 months of the sinking of the Cheonan it was "we want to talk" and then they shelled the island.
This one is no different than any other bluff they're bullshitting us with.
edited 6th Jan '11 7:38:23 AM by MajorTom
So, as expected, Kim isn't quite ready to die yet. Smart choice.
There's no good ending to this, only varying degrees of bad.
The term "Great Man" is disturbingly interchangeable with "mass murderer" in history books.Seems that the US is (rightfully) suspicious of this request:
"There are still things that North Korea has to do to demonstrate a seriousness of purpose," he said.
He said "useful steps" would include ending provocative behaviour and for Pyongyang to recommit itself to a 2005 declaration on nuclear disarmament.
First thought was "how are they defining 'unconditional'?". I mean, at times the Marxist-Leninist vocabulary is like a dictionary from another world that makes a piker of Newspeak.
Also, as has been noted above, NK is hardly unknown for using "let's talk" as a stalling tactic, with no demonstrated intention of actually getting something concrete done.
Really, without a change of senior CPNK leadership (and I don't mean just the Chairman) or a successful outright war against NK (impractical at best, given current resources), I'm exceedingly skeptical that anything will change to any noteworthy degree before I'm an old gray man *.
All your safe space are belong to TrumpPart of me is ready to just go over there and jack them up so they can't stall anymore.
I don't really have any faith that NK seriously wants to negotiate about anything.
And I guess the deaths of the shelling attack in SK will go unavenged and unanswered for a time. That's the real tragedy of all this.
edited 7th Jan '11 3:00:54 AM by Barkey
^^^ On the other hand, while China is getting less pleased with NK, it's nowhere near the displeasure they'd be feeling without NK to serve as a buffer between the PRC and a western style democracy *. I also don't see their disliking NK's antics enough to cease supporting NK, so there aren't millions of starving refugees swarming the NK/PRC border.
edited 7th Jan '11 4:58:49 AM by Nohbody
All your safe space are belong to TrumpAll I hope for is, they stall at least 9 months before they start some shit.
"True story, I came when I read Scrye's story, and so did everyone within five miles." —OOZE
This post was thumped by the Stick of Off-Topic Thumping.
Stay on topic, please.
So back to business as usual, then. Go figure.
@ Barkey: revenge is a shitty motivation for military intervention, or really any kind of geopolitical stance period.
Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12123225
I'm cautiously optimistic.
Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.