20 hours

North Korea is the bad boy of international politics. A belligerent nation,desirous of nuclear stardom,it has found itself isolated both economically and politically. Thus,when former President Clinton,a real rock star in terms of international perception,manages,in 20 hours,to free two American journalists from 12 years of forced labour,thereby giving Pyongyang’s hermit dictator the publicity he craves,optimism and debate are a natural fallout.

Such diplomacy is not uncommon. During the Clinton administration,talks between Washington and Pyongyang had all but halted,with military confrontation in sight,until former President Carter flew in,doing the Jack Bauer act that Bill Clinton pulled off this time. The 1994 Agreed Framework which resulted was the first time Pyongyang signalled a willingness to abandon its nuclear programme in return for economic aid. But getting Bill Clinton to use the capital he built then to serve President Obama’s aims? Bill’s relationship with Barack has been somewhat thorny,after all. Clinton openly criticised Obama’s “fairytale” plans for Iraq,and freely questioned his foreign policy credentials during then-Senator Clinton’s primary campaign. Has Clinton had a change of heart? And did his former vice-president,Al Gore — the captured journalists’ employer — help that along?

And does Kim Jong Il’s pardon signify a desire to head back to the negotiating table? Historically,there has been a temptation to address non-proliferation through bilateral negotiation; but the most effective route has involved major regional players. The six-party talks between China,South Korea,Japan,Russian,the US and North Korea should thus be placed back on track. There is justifiable scepticism on how far they can go in halting Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions — it has walked out,on multiple occasions,and has over the past year resumed nuclear activity. Yet it is only through collective diplomacy that the North Korean threat will be contained. The sight of Kim’s chief nuclear negotiator waiting on the tarmac to personally welcome Bill Clinton might well indicate the international community is moving in the right direction.