The Korea accord

The so-called breakthrough made at the tortuous talks in Geneva came as a glaring case of giving much and taking little, for which liberal pushovers in the western and free world have already earned fame, from the Munich agreement of 1938 to the Treaty of Paris for peace with North Vietnam in 1973.

The lopsided Geneva deal gave Pyongyang most of what it wants -- exchange of liaison offices as a prelude to full diplomatic normalization with Washington, new reactors and fuel to be used in the interim. Washington gained little except for uncertain compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

-- The Korea Herald, Seoul