North Korean Talks

Talks with North Korea have started up again. This time, the conference table is lined with carrots--to include a very generous electricity offer from the South along with a U.S. offer to work towards diplomatic relations. There's debate within the academic community over whether the North Korean regime plans to open up its economy, following the Chinese example, but the general consensus is that North Korea is seeking a different path: opening up just enough to ensure the regime's economic viability. Of course, hand-outs become addictive so it's to be seen whether the regime will really be able to reign in all liberalizing tendencies once they begin.