Chaz and Katz’s article, “The Right Way to Coerce North Korea.” critically examines the intricate geopolitical dynamics characterizing the relationship between North Korea and the United States during the Trump administration. While the authors present a set of compelling strategies for a coercive approach to denuclearization diplomacy, the feasibility and obstacles associated with implementing these can be complex. They focus on five key strategies aimed at deescalating tension. These include bolstering the coalition supporting sanctions, adopting assertive stances on nonproliferation, enhancing alliances with key regional players such as Japan and South Korea, and establishing an intelligence-sharing counterproliferation coalition.
The practical implementation of these strategies faces complex challenges in the complex geopolitical landscape. Firstly, increasing the coalition around sanctions requires navigating varying interests and priorities among the international community. Coordinating these efforts would imply a balancing act between the U.S. interest and the potential alliances in the region. Taking a strong stance on nonproliferation will echo the need for navigating the fine line between diplomacy, projecting strength, and avoiding further escalation. Lastly, upgrading alliances with Japan and South Korea regarding missile capabilities will need to be done without raising the tension with China, which could interpret such actions as provocative.
While acknowledging the potential efficacy of these strategies, nowadays, other layers of complexity have been added to this issue. For example, North Korea has been assisting Russia with weapons for the Ukrainian war, which means that now, North Korea has a strong partner that can help them move their nuclear interest even further. These new alliances would complicate the US objective of denuclearization.
While these strategies could help create a potential road map to mitigate some of the present uncertainties, the central question would persist: How can the U.S. effectively navigate these complexities of geopolitical dynamics and achieve a sustainable agreement with North Korea around denuclearization? Addressing this question would require an understating of balancing assertiveness with diplomacy in the ever-evolving geopolitical landscape.
One reply on “Week 10”
Yaz,
This is a good summary of the current state of play with North Korea. Unfortunately, it falls in the category of a “wicked hard problem.” Almost every approach, both carrot and stick, has been tried with them, but to no avail. Under the Agreed Framework, the DPRK did suspend its enrichment efforts for at least a short while (though they also cheated). But it did not last. The North is infamous for using so-called “salami slicing” tactics where they make excessive demands and agree to little or nothing. As a result, very little progress has been made–and mostly relations have deteriorated since the DPRK continues to test long-range missiles and has detonated six nuclear tests. It is often referred to as a “wicked hard problem” for this reason. –Professor Wallerstein