Tensions between North Korea and the US have been growing for years, and recently the US has been open to discussions with Kim Jong Un. During the Winter Olympics Vice President Pence spoke with South Korea's president Moon Jae about the possibilities for future communication. Pence says the strategy going forward is "maximum pressure and engagement at the same time." It will take a lot of action from North Korea to lift the heavy sanctions from the UN. Merely talking will not be enough, and Pence is unsure of what steps North Korea could take to lift the sanctions. It is likely that the US and South Korea will be the largest forces in terms of furthering conversations with North Korea.
Questions:
1. Do you believe that "maximum pressure" is the right strategy?
2. Do you believe it is the responsibility of the US to lead conversations with North Korea?
3. How much do you believe that North Korea is a threat to American well-being?
Source:
Bloomberg
8 comments:
I think it's a good idea that the US is taking a lead and wants to talk to North Korea. It's better to have a speaking relationship than a threatening one. I don't know how well it will make their foreign relations improve but I think it's better for everyone to be on speaking terms.
The thing about the "maximum pressure" quote is that I personally am not sure what "maximum pressure" even means at this point-I assume that this maximum pressure will be applied to the North Koreans to denuclearize, but what concessions the U.S.-South Korea block will provide to alleviate the "maximum pressure" I'm not sure. Maximum pressure to agree to terms, lest the status quo remain? In negotiating, you can't apply more pressure than you're already applying unless you intend to impose new measures and sanctions on the party you're applying pressure towards. In short, I think that the "maximum pressure and engagement" quote from the Vice President is extremely vague, and I'm both nervous and excited to see what this quote means and implies.
In addition, I don't feel as if this is the place of the United States to lead negotiations unless it's proven that the North is willing to use their nuclear weapons against an American or South Korean city (which it's not-the President's Nixonesque madman strategy has most likely scared the North away from the option.) If President Trump's American First foreign policy is any indication, then the United States should stay out of the conversation-it's just not our business, it doesn't directly benefit or affect us. Talks should be primarily between the North and the South, with a proactive strategy on thawing the relationship between the two. There's even talk of reunion in the source article, which in my opinion is a long shot, but still potentially possible. However, an intervention or a mediation with the Trump administration and the Tillerson State Department would charge negotiations with talk of denuclearization-something which I feel might poison the discussion.
I may just lack a truly nuanced understanding of foreign policy, but simultaneous "maximum pressure" and engagement sounds like trying to have your cake and eating it too. I'm all for attempting increased diplomatic engagement in the Korea debacle, but a slightly more concrete strategy would be appreciated. That being said, I do like the innate sentiment, the lack of a unilateral approach; it only makes sense to engage with North Korea if they are willing, barring an inept diplomat, talk has a far lower potential to hurt than further antagonizing actions. Of course, as I already stated, I am agreeing more with the sentiment of the statement than the overtly nebulous statement itself.
As everyone has stated above, we just don't know exactly what maximum pressure is. I feel like it is good that we are actively trying to communicate with North Korea. Talking and simple communication has a much lower risk compared to the U.S. forcing North Korea into anything. I don't believe the U.S. is directly responsible to talk with North Korea, but it would probably be best if the U.S. made sure that our relations with North Korea are of a positive light.
Maximum pressure sounds reasonable, but it doesn’t seem like anything new. We have already been approaching DPRK with lots of pressure, and I am sure our diplomats have not been lacking in effort before. The United States has always had a strong standing on the international stage, so there is no reason we should not be part of negotiations with North Korea. They may be a threat to the United States now, but if we can provide proper disarmament treaties the world could become safer.
i do not believe the max pressure is a good idea. the tension already buit between trump and kim jong un have been so high that max pressure could be a tipping point for war. with the idea of pressure, it is not a good idea we even consider talking. negotiations are out of the picture after our threat. North Korea is a threat to the US,but the idea of them being a threat has always beena problem and the nuclear war tension had always been there.
Right now, with our volatile president, the best thing to do would be to leave this up to South Korea. Clearly they must be doing something right because they were able to march under the same flag during the opening ceremonies. From the things the president has said, I don't believe negotiations would go all too well. The best strategy is no strategy. Defense and isolationism towards North Korea. Pressure will only result in backlash. Whatever negotiations will happen they need to be treated with kindness and respect, something our government has none of. Therefore we should leave this to someone else for the safety of the world.
I think that because so many distrust our president and his methods, I think that a high pressure strategy would make the American people somewhat uneasy. While nobody is obligated to lead the talk s with Korea, I feel that it should be the United States as we have been threatened by North Korea more than most countries. Some might also conclude that our president is incapable of making the situation better and that he will likely only make it worse so he should just not handle it and let somebody else (another counry) do something about it.
Post a Comment