Yesterday I posted about North Korea and the expected problems they will cause for President Obama. The first ever nuclear test for North Korea was in 2006. However a few months afterward they agreed to a disarmament deal. This tells us that North Korea is willing to eventually participate if they feel like they are getting the best end of the deal. At this time, it is clear that the nation wishes to be taken seriously; furthermore the nation desires to get as much aid out of the agreement as possible. The Institute of Foreign Affairs in South Korea commented that North Korea will likely set up more missile tests just to increase their bargaining power in the disarmament talks.
If this is the case, what should be done? There are basically two options here: the first is to get in agreement with all 4 other nations besides North Korea (China, Japan, South Korea, and Russia) and to plan to band together in the disarmament discussions. If they do this, they will be able to give North Korea a reasonable deal while not being abused and taken advantage of. The second option would be to cave under the fear and pressure of North Korea and to let them run the negotiations. I don’t think anyone wants to go for option number two. We must get in unison with the other nations and present a plan that is fair to North Korea while strongly benefiting the other nations.
