Doesn’t it feel like we’ve been through this Kabuki dance before with the North Koreans? Long, drawn out negotiations that eventually fail to achieve their objective. In order to achieve a satisfactory outcome in the world of diplomacy, you need an honest bargaining partner. It turns out that North Korea was not an honest partner. Does anyone really think that Iran is an honest bargaining partner? If I’m the leadership in Tehran, I’m going to string along the international community, giving the appearance that I’m interested in making a deal–as I rigorously pursue a nuclear weapons capability.  Here’s a good report from Tim Marshall of Sky News: