Morning Joe: June 8, 2009

Kissinger Weighs in on DPRK

Stories we're following today:

Reining In Pyongyang - Henry Kissinger in the Washington Post[link]

• Hence the issue for diplomacy has become whether the goal should be to manage North Korea's nuclear arsenal or to eliminate it.
• A wise diplomacy will move urgently to assemble the incentives and pressures to bring about the elimination of nuclear weapons and stockpiles from North Korea. It is not enough to demand unstated pressures from other affected countries, especially China. A concept for the political evolution of Northeast Asia is urgently needed.

U.S. Weighs Intercepting North Korean Shipments - The New York Times [link]

• The Obama administration signaled Sunday that it was seeking a way to interdict, possibly with China’s help, North Korean sea and air shipments suspected of carrying weapons or nuclear technology.
• Now, after examining the still-inconclusive evidence about the results of North Korea’s second nuclear test, the administration has come to different conclusions: that Pyonyang’s top priority is to be recognized as a nuclear state, that it is unwilling to bargain away its weapons and that it sees tests as a way to help sell its nuclear technology.

North Korea sentences 2 U.S. reporters to prison - L.A. Times[link]

• Two American television journalists today were convicted of a "grave crime" against North Korea and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, a move that increased mounting tensions between the U.S. and the reclusive Asian state.
• Many analysts speculate that North Korea, which has in recent months sought to publicly establish its nuclear capabilities -- conducting an underground nuclear test and launching several experimental missiles -- was trying to use the women as political pawns in an attempt to force Washington to sit down for one-on-one talks.

The Lighter Side

North Korea Wipes Out Iran (from the World Cup) - Time [link]

• North Korea delivers Iran a fatal blow.
• That means Iran — a nation where the public's passion for football rivals the religious fervor of its ruling mullahs — will likely miss out on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. North Korea, meanwhile, stays on course to qualify for the first time in over four decades.