UNITED STATES - NORTH KOREAN RELATIONS

FINDING A PATH FORWARD IN THE "LAND OF LOUSY OPTIONS"

By: William Boik

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Since the late-1980’s, the United States’ relationship with North Korea has been driven almost entirely by the U.S. and international community’s desire to keep North Korea from becoming a nuclear power. Washington has used sanctions and trade embargoes to keep North Korea isolated and restrict its ability to develop nuclear weapons. Despite this, North Korea not only continues to survive, but they have successfully developed a nuclear weapons delivery capability. Today, Pyongyang is believed to have the capability of striking the U.S. mainland, posing a direct threat to our security. This study answers two questions. First, how did U.S.-North Korean relations get to the poor state that we are in today? Second, is there a more realistic foreign policy path forward, what would it look like, and what are the risks? This study argues that Washington would be in a better position strategically by maintaining an open dialogue with North Korea, enabling the U.S. to take advantage of opportunities, both governmental and non-governmental, to engage North Korea. It also argues that it is unlikely that the U.S. - North Korean relationship will improve until Washington drops the long-standing demand that North Korea denuclearize and accepts that North Korea is and will be for the foreseeable future a nuclear power.