North Korea has submitted documentation of its nuclear activities and the United States has lifted trade restrictions and committed to take Pyongyang off the list of state sponsors of terror -- marking a shift toward routine, bureaucratic interstate relations.
North Korea handed over its list of nuclear activities to China on June 26, six months past due and several issues shy of complete disclosure. The White House responded to the delayed but expected move by announcing the removal of restrictions on North Korea under the Trading with the Enemy Act, and declaring its intent to remove North Korea from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list after 45 days.
These reciprocal actions are far from the end of the North Korea issue, but they do mark a shift in U.S.-North Korean relations that will allow Washington to turn its attention elsewhere.