North Korea: Crises as Political Ploys

In a Sept. 3 letter sent to the U.N. Security Council, North Korea announced it is close to completing experimental uranium extraction, with ongoing weaponization of plutonium at its Yongbyon nuclear reactor. With those pronouncements, Pyongyang said it is prepared for sanctions or dialogue. The message comes at the same time as an Asian visit by U.S. nuclear envoy Stephen Bosworth and is in keeping with North Korea's pattern of creating new crises to encourage dialogue.