May 1, 2017

"The non-proliferation history of the North Korean nuclear program is not as pessimistic as one may think, at least in terms of political symbolism and the idealistic hopes of the stakeholders. On the ground, in terms of inspection, rhetoric, and signed documentation, there have been sparks of hope for lasting denuclearization during brief moments in the non-proliferation history. But the process has been complicated by a host of internal and external political factors and environmental dynamics, sometimes unrelated to the nuclear proliferation issue.

Lesson number one is that the external environment is an extremely important factor for discussing nuclear non-proliferation in the case of North Korea, i.e., the external political dynamics of Northeast Asia must be conducive for serious talks on North Korea, and the current round of the North Korean crisis is one such moment as all stakeholders are frantically asking for peace and war avoidance. Beijing and Moscow have asked for calm and cool headedness while the US and its allies are self-restrained and at this stage are giving priority to diplomacy."

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http://www.ippreview.com/index.php/Blog/single/id/422.html

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