Nuclear Optimism, Maybe?

North Korea's pledge to suspend uranium enrichment, as well as nuclear and long-range missile tests, has received a cautious international welcome.

A White House spokesman called it a "positive first step" towards denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

China and Russia also welcomed the move, while Japan said it could "be seen as progress".

The deal followed talks between US and North Korean diplomats in Beijing last week.

One never can be too sure about what the North Koreans will do. Their logic is almost impenetrable, at times. And maybe this moratorium means nothing. On the other hand, with tensions ratcheting up in the Persian Gulf, the North Koreans might have been inclined to push harder. That they didn't may be a sign in and of itself.