Challenge for the Bush Administration: Dealing with a Nuclear North Korea

While the Bush administration prepares for a possible war to disarm Iraq, it has been confronted by a new and potentially graver crisis—North Korea’s resumption of its nuclear weapons program and expulsion of United Nations inspectors.

At this briefing, a panel of experts will address a number of difficult questions and long-term repercussions of North Korea’s belligerent stance:

• Why did North Korea revive its nuclear weapons program? Was it to pressure the United States into resuming desperately needed humanitarian shipments of food and fuel?
• Why has the United States taken two different approaches to thwarting the weapons programs of Iraq and North Korea? What military options—if any—does the United States have in North Korea?
• How can the Bush administration conduct a “dialogue” with North Korea and still maintain its announced policy of not making “concessions”? What role will China and Russia play in finding a peaceful resolution to the crisis?
• What role can South Korea and its new president play in defusing the situation? How will the anti-American sentiment in South Korea and South Korea’s apparent desire for reconciliation with the North affect Seoul’s policies in this crisis?
• What will North Korea’s resumed nuclear weapons program and its ongoing missile development program mean for security in the region, including the security of Japan, South Korea, and China?