Incorrect Assumptions: A Critical Review of U.S. Policy Toward North Korea
Abstract
The administration of George W. Bush has been heavily criticized in recent months for slowing progress in the U.S. relationship with North Korea. Upon taking office, the Bush administration called a temporary halt to Clinton's policy of intensive engagement with North Korea in favor of taking time to reassess the situation, U.S. goals and U.S. national security policy toward North Korea. When the administration announced the outcome of that review in June 2001, some observers suggested Bush had not really made any substantial changes in the overall policy and that the halt from January to June 2001 was therefore even less justified, having served only to alienate both our South Korean allies and our North Korean interlocutors This paper will argue, however, that the Bush foreign policy team was correct in calling for a reassessment of U.S. policy because there were significant flaws in the Clinton/Perry process, particularly with respect to its underlying assumptions about the North Korean regime. Additionally, the limited engagement policy proposed by the Bush administration is not simply a Clinton redux. In addition to being based on more realistic assumptions about North Korean behavior, it takes a more measured but also a broader approach to achieving U.S. security goals in the region. While both policies suffer from serious flaws due to the absolute incompatibility of U.S. and North Korean longterm goals, the Bush policy is more likely to preserve U.S. interests should engagement fail.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA441709
Entities
People
- Elise M. Vander Vennet
Organizations
- National War College