Naughty Korea

Edit: Oops. I didn't read N's post below before posting this. That'll teach me.

The New York Times has an interesting article detailing the recent nuclear weapons test conducted by North Korea. Interesting to note that the weapon they tested was disappointing, yielding a destructive force of only a few kilotons. Only.

In the timeline provided in the article, North Korea is shown to have been breaking its agreements and promises since 1993. There are some who would expect North Korea, now that it has officially achieved its nuclear ambition, to become a reasonable regime. Can we really take that chance with such an assumption?

The mechanisms that created balance during the cold war - mutually assured destruction, the SALT treaties, reciprocal inspections - won't work with North Korea. Agreements imply that there are responsible people on both sides ready and willing to adhere to the agreements. North Korea won't adhere to anything - it's shown this time and time again.