High Alert

" High alert on the Korean Peninsula today and it could have direct effects here in the United States. It's a complicated situation no doubt would try to break it down forty starting with a skirmishes C yesterday. That's when the North Korean and South Korean ships met up near a disputed maritime border that's west of the two countries. Both each side accused the other crossing the border. South Korea reports that its navy killed one North Korean sailor and nearly destroyed the north shift. Now the south says it's ready to respond to any provocation from the north. A few hours later we learned the Obama administration has decided to send Stephen Bosworth to North Korea as a special envoy. -- job there convince the leaders to return to six party negotiations. On North Korea's nuclear program. In other words talk the north Koreans in the talking. North Korea has been in and out of those negotiations for years now on it's been a two steps forward one step back situation all along. The north agrees to do one thing and then turns around and -- so why in the world we think this time would be any different. Let's bring in your -- now he's an international security expert in research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He's been directly involved in previous nuclear talks -- north region could see in. It is they use -- yup it seems like same old thing I mean why why should we think this is he different."

" Well because it is in part because of the way you describe it to step forward two steps forward one step back. -- results guy you know at at the end of the day what's the bottom line the bottom line is that when North Korea is involved in negotiations. It's better behaved and we have less problems than when it's not in negotiations when it's outside the negotiations. That's when it starts throwing stones and nuclear test missile tests and the like when they have been engaged in negotiations actually. Are often productive they froze their reactor for a decade that during that decade they were not producing new nuclear material for nuclear weapons so. I think it's for the good frankly I think that's where we're going mrs. all atmospherics. For what I think it's probably a done deal which is expected north Koreans will return to the six party talks and that there will be direct US and between negotiations in parallel with that of course now we're dealing with the aftermath of this conflict between North Korea and South Korea -- what do you make what do you make of that. Well you know it could've been an accident but I sorted -- you know you wanna fight the tendency to always assume a master plan. But in this case I think it probably was deliberate. If it is deliberate when you should think of it as just another sort of thing that North Korea does often on the eve of negotiations. It will do something to try to create a crisis thinking that gives it leverage at the barking. Table. And I think if that's what they're trying to do -- our best response is not to overreact. But the state steady. And pursue our golf our goals -- nuclear free peninsula and stability in northeast Asia and I think we should just keep focused on that cannot be distracted by. The fireworks and is it your sense that South Korea will be equally measured in its actions. I think so I mean North Korea South Korean relations. I haven't been great -- last year or so but it's not the only unit that's been that particular we've had other incidents back in 1999. And in 2002. There -- naval incidents in which there were exchanges of gunfire and then a year after those exchanges. Suddenly you start to have agreements and progress toward some sort of stable outcome so. That's the that's what North Korea does that it creates a crisis on the eve of going into some sort negotiation that's the case here. Then ironically this may be a good story it may mean we're moving towards bringing order to this disorderly troublesome. A part of the world poker right Jim Jim Walsh concede thank you."