How should the United States respond to North Korea’s rapidly advancing nuclear capabilities? Some experts suggest the upcoming summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un might provide a pivotal diplomatic opportunity to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons – especially in light of the announcement of harsh new sanctions. But others are more pessimistic, arguing that we’ve been down this road before and that denuclearizing North Korea is more of a pipedream than a legitimate strategic goal. Can Trump and Kim strike a deal to halt North Korea’s nuclear aggression? Or will the talks inevitably fail, heightening tensions and increasing the likelihood of fatal miscalculations?
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Keynote Speaker
Suki Kim, Award-Winning Author & Investigative Journalist
Debators For the Motion
Suzanne DiMaggio, Director, The U.S.-Iran Initiative & Senior Fellow, New America
Bonnie Jenkins, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution & Former Ambassador, U.S. State Department
- North Korea’s nuclear capabilities are rapidly advancing. Kim Jong-un has repeatedly threatened to hit the homeland and his recent missile tests show that he has the capacity to reach the U.S. Allowing the DPRK’s program to go any further could set a dangerous precedent on the world stage and empower nefarious actors to go nuclear.
- Sanctions are causing serious economic pain in North Korea: Oil imports and coal exports are plummeting and commodity prices are spiking. Given Trump’s recent announcement of newer, harsher sanctions, the U.S. is close to imposing an economic blockade on the North. Kim may be more willing to acquiesce to American demands.
- The Iran nuclear deal proves that rogue regimes can be brought to the table. If the Trump administration successfully rallies the global community, Kim Jong-un could be compelled to halt his nation’s dangerous nuclear ambitions.
Debators Against the Motion
Sue Mi Terry, Former CIA Analyst & Senior Fellow, CSIS
Mira Rapp-Hooper, Senior Research Scholar, Yale
- From lies about enriching uranium to repeated violations of international law, North Korea has proven itself to be reliably unreliable. Even if Kim agrees to the Trump’s terms, it would be nearly impossible for the U.S. to verify the “Hermit Kingdom’s” compliance. If past is precedent, Kim will use his country’s isolated status to his advantage by agreeing to denuclearize in order to loosen sanctions, only to renege later.
- Pyongyang has a long history of prioritizing its nuclear program over the basic needs of its people. Kim will continue to blame Washington for North Korea’s economic woes, providing further justification for his claim that the DPRK needs a strong nuclear arsenal to stave off Western aggression.
- For Kim, a nuclear deterrent is an insurance policy for regime preservation. And when it comes to denuclearization, there is a mismatch in terminology. Kim will likely demand that the U.S. remove its troops from South Korea and pull back the nuclear umbrella over its East Asian allies – concessions that are at odds with America’s strategic goals and would damage long-standing alliances in the region.