The idea that North Korea has been playing games with the world received new support today when the New York Times reported that the last Stalinist regime has demanded billions of dollars to build nuclear reactors in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons. This is similar to the Clinton Administration arrangement which allowed North Korea to develop its nuclear weapons in the first place.

China, which can potentially control North Korea, has just promised to do more. But it either cannot or will not. Chances are that North Korea is playing a spoiler role against the West, a role which China welcomes. China may be betting that North Korea is showing the United States to be helpless, thereby lowering its perceived clout in Asia.

So how is the United States benefitting from this so—called breakthrough?