*A picture of Kim Jong-il relaxing in his mansion after successfully duping the world, once again, for more food and energy aid.

North Korea has taken several steps that suggest the Kim regime could potentially make some positive progress on its status within the international community. Though the regime is well known for its troublesome and erratic behavior, which has often led to its branding as an East Asian pariah state, it would seem that 2008 has been a friendly year for diplomacy. However, can we truly expect any “real,” long lasting change in North Korea’s methods of diplomacy or will the crippled regime, once again, fall back to shooting missiles into the Sea of Japan, as a way of gaining public attention?

The East has been abuzz because North Korea, in an unprecedented move of transparency, has invited media groups from 5 of the countries involved in the ongoing “Six Party Talks” to witness the destruction of its Yongbyon nuclear reactor. The countries currently involved with the Six Party Talks are: the U.S.A., China, Russia, South Korea, Japan and North Korea. The Kim regime has, after the anticipated diplomatic wrangling, finally submitted its nuclear declaration to Chinese officials in Beijing.

Though many find these latest developments surprising, this writer can hardly give North Korea any positive or “due” credit for its actions because, quite frankly, it was predictable to anyone who has watched the country’s major “breakthroughs” eventually languish and fall apart. Commentators have stated that the recent nuclear declaration and dismantling of the Yongbyon reactor is a step in the right direction (which I whole heartedly agree with as well), though these concessions did not come without great sacrifice from the other side of the aisle.

1.) North Korea is being removed from the U.S. list of “States that Sponsor Terrorism.” It was added to the list in 1988 following the bombing of KAL Flight 858. Should we really remove the DPRK from this list, knowing that it continues to practice some of the most heinous human rights violations in the world?
2.) The intense economic sanctions that the U.S. and Japan have leveled against the DPRK, to specifically target high officials in the Kim regime, will be removed. Now Kim Jong-il will finally be able to get that iPod Touch he has wanted so badly!
3.) 500,000 tons of food aid will be delivered to North Korea from the U.S. alone. Whether or not this aid is distributed fairly amongst the ravaged population is up for speculation.
4.) The energy-starved country is also receiving the equivalent of 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil for the initial disarmament steps. This news from Associated Press writer Burt Herman.

Without nuclear deterrents in their arsenal, the DPRK will have no cards to play in the future games of diplomacy it is likely to play with the five other members of the Six Party Talks. Noting this, it is highly unlikely that North Korea will come completely clean about its arsenal or actually be willing to give up whatever weapons of mass destruction they currently possess (if any). Once it has reaped the benefits of the massive aid that gets thrown its way for being good, the regime is likely to retreat back into its cave. It will probably continue using the extreme, sometimes laughable, rhetoric that it is so infamous for and, when the time is right, they’ll find another way to get our attention and more aid to the keep the regime alive a little longer.