For North Korea, The Devil Is In The Details

North Korea's plan to use a nuclear threat to extort aid from the world community has finally paid off. A breakthrough in the six party talks have finally resulted in a North Korean "promise" to follow the terms once agreed to under a previous agreement, in exchange for a promise of the United States not to attack as well as massive aid from members of the six party talks. But if food or other aid is price of peace, then that cost is far preferable to the costs of nuclear war.

North Korea is very poor, and definately needs food or other important aid. And any agreement that limits the proliferation of nuclear arms and prevents possible war is very important.

However if the hardline Stalinist Communist leadership of North Korea really wants to better their people, then some sort of talks to peacefully reunite the two Korea's, where the prosperity of the South could spread to the North.

Just like the two Germany's, with the Western portion living in the modern age, and the Eastern path caught in a 1950's level of disadvantage, it would take years for the prosperity of South Korea to rebuild the North into a modern state.

South Korea is such an economically strong nation that South Korean banks have bailed out ailing American corporations with their banking institutions. And even the American government is bailed out by billions in bonds held by South Korean banks and investors. This level of prosperity and the peaceful reuniting of the two Korea's is the real long term key to peace with North Korea, nuclear security, and the end of starvation and poverty in the North.

The Communist government of the North Korea has been a grand failure. Compared to the South, the North is a complete poverty case, only able to support itself by the sale and transfer of arms or nuclear technology around the world. The peaceful prosperity of South Korea built on the sale of automobiles, electronics such as VCRs, DVD players, TVs, and other goods is a far better system, and far preferable to the arms trade of North Korea.