To understand how North Korea policy has become a diplomatic no-man's land empty, hopeless and likely to stay that way, if recent pronouncements by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are any indication it helps to visit the physical no-man's land of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

WSJ: Michael Auslin: The Mirage of Peace in the DMZ

Kim Jong Il's secretive visit to Shanghai this week, the North Korean leader's second factory-tour to China in eight months, suggests he is starting to understand how much North Korea has to learn.

ECONOMIST: America and North Korea

So too, the US fails to understand how its diplomatic weakness toward North Korea enhances Iran's position at the bargaining table and advances its nuclear weapons program.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Recognizing the Axis of Evil