As North Korea’s fifth nuclear test and other provocative activities show, time is not on our side.
North Korea Conducts 5th Nuclear Test; Status Quo Woefully Ineffective
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE James McKeon Jmckeon@armscontrolcenter.org 202.546.0795 x 2617 Washington, DC – Early reports of irregular seismic activity have been detected in North Korea, indicating a likely nuclear weapons test. If reports are accurate, this will be Pyongyang’s fifth nuclear test and the country’s second of 2016. The potential test follows a series of provocative […]
Taking Another Look at the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
By: Abigail Stowe-Thurston After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 20, Lassina Zerbo, the head of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) Preparatory Commission, reported that Israeli ratification of the treaty is a matter of “when, rather than if.” Netanyahu has been quoted saying that Israeli ratification “depends on the regional context,” […]
The Hill: North Korea’s Nuclear Test
Lt. Gen. Gard, Phil Coyle, and Greg Terryn penned this op-ed in The Hill on North Korea’s most recent nuclear test.
As Another North Korean Nuclear Test Looms, What’s Washington’s Response?
This week, OtherWords published a piece I wrote alongside Lt. General (USA, Ret) Robert Gard on the Obama administration’s “strategic patience” policy toward North Korea. Here is an excerpt:
It’s time to put North Korea back on the foreign policy agenda and re-engage it in serious and responsible negotiations.
Given Chinese support for North Korea, heavy sanctions won’t compel Kim Jong Un to comply with American preferences or engage in negotiations on dictated terms. However much the United States may detest the authoritarian North Korean regime, it’s in America’s interest to engage in a dialogue to protect its national security and that of its Asian allies.
Refusing to negotiate with the North Koreans unless they make concessions dictated by Washington is counterproductive. Watchful waiting simply results in further advances in the North Korean nuclear weapons program, making America and its allies less secure. Kim Jong Un is willing to talk, and it’s in America’s interest to pick up the phone and call him.
Read the full piece here.
