In Hindsight: Negotiating with North Korea

The Hermit Kingdom is the foreign-policy headache that just won't go away. With the Bush administration set to have another shot at solving this puzzle, FP dips into its archives for advice on how to negotiate with North Korea's dictator, Kim Jong Il.

"The United States will get nowhere with the North Koreans if they feel humiliated. 'We will die rather than bow to you,' North Korean officials say."
-- John Curtis Perry
"Dateline North Korea: A Communist Holdout " (Fall 1990)

"The United States will get nowhere with the North Koreans if they feel humiliated. ‘We will die rather than bow to you,’ North Korean officials say."
— John Curtis Perry
"Dateline North Korea: A Communist Holdout " (Fall 1990)

"Kim Jong Il… is not the charismatic, revered figure that his father was. Significant interest group and personal rivalries inside the regime have become visible, leading to tortuous processes of accommodation and delays in decision making. The armed forces and the internal security services play an increasingly assertive role."
— Selig S. Harrison
"Promoting a Soft Landing in Korea" (Spring 1997)

"Kim Jong Il is as rational and calculating as he is brutal. Dictators generally want to survive, and Kim is no exception…. But his rationality does not make him any less dangerous."
— David C. Kang and Victor D. Cha
"Think Again: The Korea Crisis" (May/June 2003)

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.