Why won’t the U.S. negotiate with North Korea?



Analysis Why won’t the U.S. negotiate with North Korea? Would another nuclear test make Obama's strategy more proactive? Tim Beal May 25, 2014 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Bill Clinton - Center for American Pr - CC BY-ND 2.0 It is curious that so few people ask why the Obama administration has refused to negotiate with North Korea. The Clinton administration did, and even signed a de-facto treaty, the Agreed Framework, which had it been left to run its course would have produced a very different situation from what we have today. North Korea would not be a nuclear weapons state, it would have light water reactors (LWRs) alleviating its electricity shortage, and if the U.S. had normalized relations, as promised, then peace, of a sort, would have broken out. True, Clinton did not do it willingly– © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Analysis

Why won’t the U.S. negotiate with North Korea?

Would another nuclear test make Obama's strategy more proactive?

Tim Beal May 25, 2014

Why won’t the U.S. negotiate with North Korea?

Bill Clinton - Center for American Pr - CC BY-ND 2.0

It is curious that so few people ask why the Obama administration has refused to negotiate with North Korea. The Clinton administration did, and even signed a de-facto treaty, the Agreed Framework, which had it been left to run its course would have produced a very different situation from what we have today. North Korea would not be a nuclear weapons state, it would have light water reactors (LWRs) alleviating its electricity shortage, and if the U.S. had normalized relations, as promised, then peace, of a sort, would have broken out.

True, Clinton did not do it willingly–

About the Author

Tim Beal

Tim Beal did a MA (Hons) in Modern Chinese Studies at Edinburgh University, followed by a PhD there on Chinese foreign trade. He moved to New Zealand in 1987 teaching at Victoria University of Wellington until his retirement in 2009. He has written extensively on International and Asian affairs, including two books relating to Korea: ‘North Korea: The Struggle against American Power’ (London: Pluto, 2005) and ‘Crisis in Korea: America, China, and the Risk of War’ (London: Pluto, 2011). He has been visiting both Koreas since the 1990s and maintains a geopolitical website focused on the peninsula at http://www.timbeal.net.nz/geopolitics/

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