Going in Circles on North Korea

The news coming out regarding North Korea these days is becoming quite repetitive - for lack of a milder way to put it. Seoul has reaffirmed its commitment to provide the DPRK with massive economic aid in return for the abandonment of its nuclear weapons program. Similarly, the U.S. stated that it would not give N. Korea any perks simply for returning to the negotiating table. As aptly put by State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley:

We’re not looking for half measures. We want to see North Korea come back to negotiations. But we also want to see North Korea come back to its obligations that it made in 2005.

And so the cycle goes on and on, round and round, with no end in sight. The current proposal from South Korea pledges a total of over $40 billion in aid and other major projects designed to raise the GDI (gross domestic income) of the country to $3,000 within a decade. Given how incredibly impoverished North Korea is, it would seem downright impossible for its leaders to decline - although they did - seemingly affirming their dedication to a nuclear weapons program. It’s just one of the many problems with dictators such as Kim Jong Il - they are not subject to the concerns of the voiceless mass public.

Regardless, at this point in time, it is difficult to assess the progress (if any) that is currently being made in dealing with this situation, despite its critical importance. The resulting impasse places an obstinate North Korea on one side of the fence and the U.S. (with its allies) on the other side - understanding the need for resolution, but reluctant to take steps beyond a strict sanctions regime (effectiveness undecided), strong words, and continued calls for communication and diplomacy.

At some point though, this has to change. Now, reports are surfacing that North Korea is potentially colluding with the rogue regime in Myanmar on a nuclear program. Information at this time is sketchy at best, although Secretary of State Clinton addressed it today - and this could change the whole calculus of the North Korean debate. Is Kim Jong-Il upping the bets in a high-stakes nuclear game? Is Myanmar interested in possessing its own nuclear capacity? Or perhaps, is the DPRK simply attempting to have a “spare” nuclear stash somewhere as a “Plan-B” option or an additional bargaining chip? It will certainly be interesting to see how this new addition to the crisis changes the debate.