At each stop, Rice pressed for tougher sanctions against North Korea under the US-drafted Resolution 1718 pushed through the UN Security Council on October 14. However, with the exception of Japan, which is pursuing a more aggressive stance in North East Asia for its own purposes, Rice was rebuffed in all the capitals amid warnings about the dangers of raising regional tensions.

Rice also championed the reconvening of stalled six-party talks, which include the four countries plus the US and North Korea. But on this issue, the US remains heavily dependent on China to use its political and economic influence to force Pyongyang to accede to Washington’s demand for the resumption of talks “without preconditions”.

The collapse of the six-party talks since the last round in September 2005 is a further indication of the incoherence of US foreign policy. The US initially hailed the negotiations as a great success, after a broad framework to end the confrontation over North Korea’s nuclear programs was agreed. While Rice backed the talks, hard-line sections of the Bush administration led by Vice President Dick Cheney intervened. They support “regime change” in Pyongyang and are deeply hostile to any deal with North Korea.

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