Yet another good sid…

Yet another good side effect of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. First Libya decided to play nice (i.e. voluntarily disband their nuke program), afraid of a US invasion. Later, Syria, close to the Iraq situation, left Lebanon. And now it’s North Korea’s turn. (Emphasis mine.)

North Korea agreed Monday to end its nuclear weapons program in return for security, economic and energy benefits, potentially easing tensions with the United States after a two-year standoff over the North’s efforts to build atomic bombs.

The United States, North Korea and four other nations participating in negotiations in Beijing signed a draft accord in which the North promised to abandon efforts to produce nuclear weapons and re-admit international inspectors to its nuclear facilities.

Foreign powers said they would provide aid, diplomatic assurances and security guarantees and consider North Korea’s demands for a light-water nuclear reactor.

The agreement is preliminary and will require more rounds of negotiations to flesh out because it does not address a range of issues like timing and implementation that are likely to prove contentious. China announced that the nations taking part in the talks would reconvene in November to continue ironing out the details.

Even so, the agreement marks the first time since the United States accused North Korea violating a previous accord in 2002 that the two countries have drawn up a road map for ending their dispute through peaceful means.

…

Washington declared as part of the agreement that it does not have any nuclear weapons at its bases in South Korea and that it “has no intention to attack or invade the D.P.R.K. with nuclear or conventional weapons.” The D.P.R.K. stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s formal name.

North Korea was worried that we’d actually do something about it if they pursued nuclear weapons. Why? Because we have a President that does what he says he will. And this step may bring about yet another good side effect.

Progress in the talks may also give the United States and European countries some diplomatic momentum in their negotiations with Iran over its nuclear weapons program, which is not considered as advanced as the North Korean one.

My only concern is that North Korea has been one to say one thing and do another. Ask Jimmy Carter. (Well, maybe not. I think he’s still in denial.) Hopefully, any agreement allows for serious inspections. Nonetheless, this is a good first step, one that makes us safer, and which was aided by our military actions.

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