Grim's Hall

Undermining that hope is this story about Russian arms dealers selling weapons to Iraq, even this very week. The Russian government seems to be giving them a pass in spite of official protests from the US government. A coalition solution to North Korea implies a lot of faith in that coalition to be vigilant about the sales and transfer of nuclear materials from the DPRK to others--rogue states, terror groups, and so forth. Yet Russia's government is only somewhat kindly disposed to us, and compromised at all levels by organized crime; the People's Republic of China is a competitor for influence in the region, and indeed would very much like to see the United States driven out of east Asia so we would not interfere with their expansion to Taiwan and the sea islands. That leaves two potentially giant holes in the vigil. Given that we are talking about material that could cause us to lose a city, that is a concern that can't be left out of any negotiations.