Meeting the North Korean Nuclear Challenge (Council on Foreign Relations) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0876093314 ISBN 13: 9780876093313

Publisher: Council on Foreign Relations Press, 2003

Synopsis

The North Korean nuclear program is headed in a dangerous direction. Yet the United States and its allies have not set forth a coherent or unified strategy to stop it. This Task Force, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, evaluates the challenges facing the United States in and around the Korean peninsula and assess American options for meeting them. The situation on the peninsula has deteriorated rapidly since October 2002, when North Korea admitted having a secret highly enriched uranium program that put it on course to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons. North Korea has since withdrawn from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, asserted it possess nuclear weapons, and declared that it is reprocessing its spent nuclear fuel. Having initially emphasized the need for a negotiated solution, North Korea's recent rhetoric has stressed the deterrent value of nuclear weapons. Co-chaired by Morton I. Abramowitz and James T. Laney, and directed by Council Senior Fellow Eric Heginbotham, the Task Force makes specific recommendations to help guide U.S. foreign policy: 1) articulate a strategy around which U.S. regional partners can rally; 2) as part of that strategy, engage in a serious negotiating effort with North Korea and test its intentions by proposing an interim agreement; 3) secure the commitment of U.S. allies to take tougher action should talks fail, 4) restore the health of the U.S.-ROK alliance; 5) persuade China to take greater responsibility for resolving the crisis; and 6) appoint a full-time high-level coordinator for Korea.

About this title

About the Author:

Morton I. Abramowitz is a Senior Fellow at the Centruy Foundation. He was U.S. Ambassador to Thailand and has served as the President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

James T. Laney is President Emeritus of Emory University. He served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (1993-97).

Eric Heginbotham is Senior Fellow in Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

About this edition

• Publisher: Council on Foreign Relations Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0876093314
• ISBN 13: 9780876093313
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 59
• Editor: Morton I. Abramowitz, James T. Laney, Eric Heginbotham