So, the US is now demanding some sort of “clear signal” in order for negotiations to proceed.

The problem here is that there are people in political positions, who I won’t name for fear that they will get drunk and shoot me in the face, who believe that negotiations of any sort are a victory for North Korea, and a defeat for the US, so the directives come down to keep erecting road blocks.

The North Koreans are not crazy. They are secretive, in many ways criminal, largely uncaring about the wellbeing of their population, and paranoid, but they are not crazy.

They honestly believe, and have believed for the last 50 years, that the US is planning a sneak attack against them in the hope of decapitating their regime and taking over their country.

Every time there is progress in discussions, and then the US creates another stupid hoop to jump through, it reinforces that belief.

This is well and truly stupid.