The new year is starting out well for North Korea. On Wednesday, the country announced a breakthrough — the opening of diplomatic relations with Italy — and Pyongyang returned to the offensive in its dealings with its chief interlocutors in the region — Japan, South Korea and the United States. The bluster is to be expected. Negotiations with North Korea are entering a critical phase, and Pyongyang typically responds in this fashion. The governments in Tokyo, Seoul and Washington must not be put off by the harsh rhetoric. They must be careful to coordinate policies, however, and ensure that progress in one set of talks does not come at the expense of the others.
While diplomatic relations with Italy are unlikely to offer North Korea any substantive advantages, they do have symbolic importance. Five other European countries have official ties with Pyongyang, but Italy is the first G7 government to join the list.
The move is part of an Italian strategy to create a role for itself internationally. Although Rome is a member of the G7, it is often overshadowed by other members of the group. To compensate, Italy has been aggressive in building ties with "rogue" governments: Over the years it has courted U.S. ire by maintaining contacts with the Palestine Liberation Organization, Libya, Iran and Algeria. It has done this for several reasons. Frequently, commercial and security concerns have predominated. But Italian governments have also seen their natural role as that of a bridge to "outsiders." Although they also sometimes see themselves as a kind of back channel for the U.S., that would seem unnecessary in this case, given the many avenues for communication already available.