North Korea is a totalitarian state and a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction. With an arsenal of nuclear weapons, the Kim Jong Il regime could present a threat of heretofore unknown proportions. Notwithstanding the clarity of such a threat, solutions are elusive. Most of North Korea's Asian neighbors agree that a nuclear North Korea is less than desirable, but their strategy for disarming the North is not clear. Nor, it might be added, is the U.S. strategy.
North Korea's nuclear weapons program flourishes despite the 1994 Agreed Framework. The regime has a history of bribery and broken promises. What will stop North Korea's nuclear program this time? Can diplomacy work? What will be the price of peace? Is containing a nuclear North Korea plausible or has the time come for a frank admission that as long as Kim Jong Il rules, his regime remains an unacceptable threat? Has the time come to contemplate regime change and a possible reunification of the Koreas?
