NK engages in bad behavior and we pay to stop it. This is known as “blackmail”. And Iran is watching.
You have to wonder what the Annapolis “peace” fisco is a setup for. It starts sometime after November 26th.
This Palestinian statehood concept is something the Europeans dearly want and what will the United States get in return for squeezing Israel.
“Tougher sanctions” on Iran followed by a negotated deal of some sort with them.
A deal that will allow them to build or keep nuclear weapons openly or secretly.
Europe, Russia, China have their own agendas and there’s a get along attitude coming out of Washington right now.
NK is following the well-worn playbook written by the USSR and followed with some success throughout the Cold War. Every time they became menacing over some trouble spot, US leftists would get hysterical, and the gov would seek to soothe the Bear with "concessions." The system was working well, with Soviet hegemony expanding, until we elected Ronald Reagan and upset the whole democrat/Soviet apple cart.
Georeg Bush has followed the same useless game plan every president from FDR to Carter did, and his father and Clinton did, to no good purpose. Appease your enemies and hope that by pleasing them you will convince them that you are their friend, and hope they will like you enough not to kill you and take what you have.
A fine time tested strategy, which has worked wonders with the pali's in the MidEast as well.