A couple of bloggers recently contributed some interesting ideas as to how to resolve the North Korean problem. Over at the Daily Demarche, a guest writer suggested a novel approach to our relationship with Pyongyang — aggressive magnanimity. It’s a long post, but an interesting read. Here’s a sample:
The US can literally bury North Korea under an avalanche of manufactured goods and agricultural products. Does anyone doubt that the US could not fill a dozen super cargo ships with say a million or two each of blankets, eyeglasses, shoes, doses of aspirin, tooth paste and brushes, basic antibiotics, shirts, pants, jackets, hats, gloves, dresses, skirts sweaters, pens, pencils, paper, watches, books, pots, pans, bottled water and mountains of grain, etc.? Unleashing the productivity, ingenuity and wealth of a free people against the regime of Kim Jong-Il is a tactic he is ill-prepared to confront. Imagine President Bush, on behalf of the American people and in solidarity with the long suffering and actually starving people of North Korea, makes this mass of goods and foodstuffs a gift to ameliorate the deprivation of the North Korean populace and to give evidence of what is available outside of North Korea. There is precedent for such an initiative; the marshalling of resources and logistics by the US in response to the devastation of the recent Tsunami. Our relief efforts graphically projected American resources and might in the form of magnanimity. The impact of this act on the region instigated, in some cases, a certain reexamination of the region??????????s engagement with America which had previously been one of suspicion if not hostility. In some instances it has led to a higher level of communication and cooperation.
Read the rest on your own, and thanks a lot to the reader who was kind enough to give me the heads up on that. Meanwhile, over at Daniel Starr, you have a very well-considered 4-step plan for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. Don’t miss it. Just a tidbit:
North Korea’s government wants two things: money and safety. The United States has the power to provide or destroy both. From North Korea the United States wants two things: nuclear disarmament, and the right of emigration for the masses of pseudo-political prisoners. Both of those are in North Korea’s power, and even in its interest — if only it really believes it can give those up yet keep or improve its money and safety.
In other words, there’s room for a deal. North Korea does the things we hate for the pragmatic reasons of money and safety; we can give it better ways to get the money and safety the government wants. The reason there is no overall agreement is because neither side trusts each other. The reason there is no progress toward an overall agreement because neither side is offering a sweetener or a punishment to motivate the other side to test whether it can be trusted.
Right now, the United States’ policy toward North Korea isn’t “Big Carrot” like the Europeans’ policy has been toward Serbia or Turkey; it isn’t “Big Stick” like the United States’ current policy toward Syria. Our current North Korea policy is “No Carrot, No Stick, Lots of Whining.” North Korea’s never responded to whining. But it’s listened just fine to carrots. We may need the stick, too — we’ll talk about that in a moment. But let’s begin with a small carrot.
Enjoy.
9 Comments
“North Korea?€™s never responded to whining. But it?€™s listened just fine to carrots.”
I need to read the rest of the article to put the above claim in context, but my immediate reaction is, “What are you smoking?”
Yeah, the 1994 Agreed Framework had carrots. NK responded just fine to that.
Kevin
I don’t think the first idea would work very well. We can’t really draw a parallel to our wonderful tsuami relief unless the North Koreans allow us to make it very clear that this is not any miracle of juche but a product of the magnamity of the United States…and what are the odds of Pyongyang agreeing to that?
We can?€™t really draw a parallel to our wonderful tsuami relief unless the North Koreans allow us to make it very clear that this is not any miracle of juche but a product of the magnamity of the United States?€?and what are the odds of Pyongyang agreeing to that?
Slim and none. But it’s still an interesting read.
I think we should put the biggest economy in the world in charge of supplying all those goodes they want to donate. The US should take a rest now that they’re no longer the biggest.
I think we should put the biggest economy in the world in charge of supplying all those goodes they want to donate. The US should take a rest now that they’re no longer the biggest.
NKs are like Farangues of the StarTrek episode. These people are ugly and they like to lie.
Pres. Carter extended his Christian belief of “Love all people” to these asshos and got burned. Madeline Albright “talked” to these people as some liberals suggest and got lied to.
Go back and talk some more? Are you out of your mind?
I think the U.S. policy of no action is working. NK is getting restless. They are losing control. They will do the underground testing and give justification for the U.S. to bring NK nuke problem to the UN.
Let the UN handle it. If it cannot, then let Japan handle it. NK nuke is a small potato. It is not a big concern for the U.S.
[...] Friday, May 13th, 2005 at 4:30 am by Jason The Marmot has a post with two blogger ideas for dealing with North Korea. [...]
The devil is in the details. How would all these materials be distributed? Even doctors without borders got out of North Korea because they were only helping the elite. North Korea would probably transfer all the goods onto another ship and sell it abroad for cold hard cash to help their nuclear program and buy a few nice sports cars for the dear old leader. The leadership totally controls distribution and if anyone thinks those goods would be distributed to the masses, they are smoking something.
For carrots in general there were carrots involved with the 94 agreement and we all know what North Korea did with that. Recent carrots included in the six party talks have been a treaty of some kind assuring that the US will not attack North Korea (safety). That is only on the US side. South Korea will give cash, fertilizer, invest in North Korean industry and I’m sure a ton of other stuff (money). I’m sure Japan has offered some mighty fine carrots as well. That is a lot of “money and safety” Of course they are asking North Korea to abide by the 94 agreement first and then they will give them the North plenty of carrots. This is a carrot policy.
The US wants to use some sticks (embargoes) but Korea and China don’t want to play ball. The only other stick is military action which is not desirable because of the possible massive civilian casualties for little gain.
Both posts make common assumptions/claims I don’t buy. Maybe we can call it the Jimmy Carter syndrome. He went into North Korea believing he would find reasonable people (because humanity is reasonable) and he could eventually get to the heart of solution if the environement were just tweeked a bit.
North Korea’s regime is not reasonable. It is not in a reasonable position. Treating it as if it can be Switzerland with a few minor adjustments by the leadership is way off base.
A too common idea is that all North Korea wants is money. Many others say they just want security too.
Money — yes. Security — fine, yes. All? Hell No!!
I can’t understand why the natural desire to stretch humanity to include the whole world can’t recognize and acknowledge what seems to me so plainly obvious