Steven Den Beste has written a fascinating analysis of the current situation in Korea, giving the historical context and then explaining Friday’s complete turnaround – from demanding bilateral talks with the US to accepting six-sided talks with the Chinese, South Koreans, Japanese and Russians also invited. You have to read the whole article, but basically the Chinese did it.
“North Korea shoved all their chips into the middle of the table. But they’re playing poker with a Texan. He didn’t panic. But I think someone else did. I think that the Chinese finally reached the breaking point.”
The Volokh Conspiracy entry where I found the link has some tart commentary on the inability of the mainstream press to competently cover stories like this….