North Korea: Carrots Now, Sticks Later
Abstract
In Book One of Clausewitz's "On War", he writes, "In war the result is never final. The defeated state often considers the outcome merely as a transitory evil, for which a remedy may be found in political conditions at some later date. The state of relations between the United States and North Korea, also known as the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), embodies this truism today. An armistice agreement in 1953 provided for a cease-fire between North Korea and the United States, but the peace treaty to end the war has yet to be negotiated, leaving a large armed camp on either side of the 38th parallel warily eyeing each other for the past 49 years. Since the signing of the Armistice, the Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea) has flourished into a stable democratic country with a healthy and powerful economy. At the same time, the DPRK, under a communist totalitarian regime, has grown evermore isolated and teeters on the edge of collapse. However, the DPRK's military, coupled with its development and export of missile technology and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, threatens the stability of the entire region. The United States has declared this region an area of national interest and, therefore, must counter North Korea's actions to provide for stability in the region. This paper will examine the nature of the relationship between the United States and the countries of the region to identify national objectives and formulate a national security and military strategy to achieve them.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA441540
Entities
People
- Chirstopher C. Romig
Organizations
- National War College