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"Countries that seek nuclear weapons are insecure. Trying to isolate or coerce them can easily backfire."
North Korea's October 9 test of a nuclear device, some observers allege, demonstrates the limits of diplomacy in dealing with the threat of proliferation. Quite the contrary: North Korea's nuclear weapons development has resulted in large measure from the unwillingness of three us administrations-George H. W. Bush's, Bill Clinton's, and George W. Bush's-to engage in sustained diplomatic give-and-take with Pyongyang and to live up to commitments made during negotiations.
Instead of bargaining in good faith, us leaders have attempted to pressure North Korea by threatening isolation and economic sanctions-or worse. This has only provoked Pyongyang to accelerate its acquisition of nuclear weapons and longer-range missiles.
To American hard-liners, North Korea's nuclear test is proof that it is determined to arm and should be punished. Far from it. Pyongyang in fact has been playing tit for tat-reciprocating whenever Washington cooperates and retaliating whenever Washington reneges-in an effort to end enmity.
RESPONDING IN KIND
Whenever the United States moved to accommodate it, North Korea responded in kind. After President George H. W. Bush announced the removal of all us nuclear arms from South Korea in September 1991, Pyongyang signed a denuclearization accord with Seoul and a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
And it backed up its words with deeds. To make nuclear arms, North Korea would have had to shut down its 5-megawatt nuclear reactor in Yongbyon (some 60 miles north of Pyongyang), remove the spent fuel, and reprocess it to extract plutonium to make bombs. Instead, in a step later verified by IAEA inspectors, the government stopped reprocessing in 1991 and delayed removing spent fuel from the reactor until May 1994.
North Korea showed some self-restraint on missiles as well. In 1993 it was about to strike a deal with Israel to end its missile exports to the Middle East in return for full diplomatic recognition, investment, and technical assistance.
By contrast, when Washington tried pressure instead of diplomatic give-and-take...