Sanctions: An Important Component of U.S. North Korea Policy - Bruce Klingner, 38 North, US-Korea Institute at SAIS

Sanctions: An Important Component of U.S. North Korea Policy - Bruce Klingner, 38 North, US-Korea Institute at SAIS:



"The debate over the utility of sanctions in foreign policy is usually depicted in binary fashion, i.e. whether the U.S. should use pressure or engagement. The reality, of course, is that sanctions and engagement—along with economic assistance, military deterrence, alliances, and public diplomacy—are all diplomatic tools to influence the negotiating behavior of the other side. Rather than being used in isolation, these tools are most effective when integrated into a comprehensive strategy utilizing all the instruments of national power. ... While a comprehensive integrated strategy utilizing all the tools of coercion and persuasion provides the best potential for achieving North Korean denuclearization, we must realize we may be trying to negotiate the non-negotiable. There may not be any magical combination of benefits and punishments that gets Pyongyang to abandon its decades long quest to develop nuclear weapons. ... The Obama administration’s two-track policy of pressure and negotiations is an improvement over earlier approaches

that veered to either extreme. However, 'strategic patience' is insufficient as a long-term strategy. ... Washington should therefore begin discussions with its allies over possible next steps for policy toward North Korea, particularly in light of a future leadership succession in Pyongyang. It is best to start having the discussion now and coordinating policy rather than simply allowing the status quo to continue….and continue to deteriorate."