The relationship between North Korea and the United States has been a strenuous one. North Korea has been consistently defensive of their nuclear plans; inspection and interference were not tolerated by Kim Jong-il’s administration. Any attempts to gain political insight into the regime by American politicians were swiftly rebutted by a shroud of mystery surrounding the small nation’s inner workings. Nevertheless, a breakthrough of sorts seems to have finally come through. North Korea has reached an agreement to end any uranium enrichment and nuclear missile tests in their Pyongyang facility. A move that comes as a surprise to the global community, based on their existing pro-nuclear precedent.
The agreement cites that North Korea will adhere to their new promises in exchange for 240,000 tonnes of food aid from America. This agreement, should it remain intact, could be pivotal in encouraging further dialogue about nuclear disarmament. Furthermore, it could be an important step in encouraging more favourable diplomatic ties between America and North Korea. According to an article published by the BBC yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cited the move as a good preliminary step toward further negotiations. However, a very similar agreement was reached in 2005 when North Korea promised to discontinue its nuclear program for aid. This agreement consequently fell through in 2009.
Whatever the eventual outcome of this agreement, the Obama administration will have reason to be overjoyed at this diplomatic victory. If this negotiation is successful, it can be serious political leverage for Obama’s election campaign. Of course, time will dictate whether this is a small step to further cooperation or a small blip that eventually morphs into another breakdown of relations. The aforementioned article details that there is certainly room for scepticism, given that this food aid will be promised to the North Korean population soon before the birthday celebration of Kim Il-sung. Furthermore, the Pyongyang facility will enforce these sanctions, but any other potential sites for nuclear testing are not mentioned. While this agreement is encouraging, it would be advised to proceed with caution.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
