Recently it was announced that the US would give North Korea 240,000 tons of food aid in exchange for promises to cease uranium enrichment at its Yongbyon plant. While many who are familiar with the situation would naturally be cautiously optimistic at the news, Jack David of National Review Online put it well:
http://www.hudson.org/research/8765-obama-s-victory-with-north-korea
In the article, he notes North Korea’s repeated failures to uphold promises on nuclear enrichment and the fact that food aid often is concentrated to the military and elites.
While it is good that Obama and the US are taking steps to curb Pyongyang’s enrichment program, and the enrichment and food aid programs will be monitored, there ultimately need to be concrete steps to ensure the rogue country’s tricks don’t continue and they make tangible steps towards nuclear disarmament and provide for their citizens better.