How to Deal with a Nuclear North Korea

Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Joseph DeTrani is former Special envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea and the U.S. Representative to the Korea Energy Development Organization (KEDO), as well as former CIA director of East Asia Operations. He also as the Associate Director of National Intelligence and Mission Manager for North Korea and the Director of the National Counter Proliferation Center, and as Special Adviser to the Director of National Intelligence.

North Korea wants to be accepted as a nuclear weapons state, a goal they’ve pursued for the last twenty-six years of failed negotiations.  Eventually, the leadership in Pyongyang thinks they’ll accomplish this goal, despite the U.S. and others demanding complete denuclearization.  But despite our efforts, North Korea has progressed exponentially with its nuclear and missile programs, defying international sanctions. North Korea is playing the long game, convinced we’ll eventually cave, as we did with Pakistan, and accept them as a nuclear weapons state, which would be a monumental strategic mistake.