The North Korean Conundrum:an Analysis At The American And Chinese Response To The North Korean Nuclear Crisis

The isolated Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has posed one of the biggest threats to global security for the past several decades with its continual dismissal of international calls to end its nuclear research program and military weapons program. The United States of America and the People’s Republic of China, two of the world’s great powers have played roles in trying to bring stability back to East Asia. Both have regional influence and economic and military might, yet North Korea has, after many years continued belligerent rhetoric and dangerous threats to those who oppose it.This paper analyzes the history and culture of the United States and China compared with that of North Korea to determine how they relate and make decisions in dealing with North Korea and also gives an in depth look at strategies used by each nation in dealing with North Korean leaders in trying to dismantle their nuclear program. Both nations have a military history on the Korean Peninsula, as well as have used combinations of bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, including the Six-Party Talks, and use their economic and global influence in many international bodies to impose economic sanctions to punish North Korea or give foreign aid to appease it.Because the conflict still rages on, it is important to look at history and analyze all tactics used in the past and understand why they fell and use our knowledge of that to shape future ideas on how to work with North Korean leadership. Ideas not yet tried by either country are presented at the end of the paper that use this historical knowledge in hopes that one day leaders from the United States, China, North Korea and other affected countries in East Asia can work together to find common ground in reestablishing a peaceful and stable region.