North Korea: When tests of trust turn global events

Pick almost any crisis in the world – say with Greece, Iran, or Pakistan – and you’ll likely find a deep loss of international trust at the heart of it. Yet for two decades, no crisis has cried out more for building trust than the danger from North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

Doubts run deep about the secretive North. South Koreans, who have seen their neighbor break so many agreements before, simply refer to any talks with the regime as the “trust process.” Even China admits that its wily ally has “poor records” in “upholding commitments.”

Despite these qualms, the United States has decided to strike another pact with North Korea, three years after the regime abandoned multilateral talks.

In a pact announced Wednesday, North Korea promises to freeze its uranium enrichment, nuclear tests, and long-range missile tests. It will also welcome back international nuclear inspectors. In return, the US will supply 240,000 metric tons of food aid to a country suffering widespread famine.

If the North finally breaks a pattern of deceit, it could be a sign that its new leader, Kim Jong-un, seeks to reform his country and end a half century of decline caused by his grandfather and father.

The US-North Korean pact also holds out some hope that Iran may follow suit and restore the trust lost about the real purpose of its nuclear program.

Suspicions run high in the West that Iran wants a capability to build nuclear weapons. Exhibit A: Iran denies access for the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect certain nuclear or military facilities.

Such wholesale lack of trust in a country’s honesty can have huge consequences. Iran’s coverup, for example, could trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Israel may preemptively attack Iranian nuclear plants.

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