Crisis on the Korean Peninsula: How to Deal With a Nuclear North Korea

At a time of growing awareness of the threat that North Korea's nuclear capacity represents, O'Hanlon and Mochizuki offer a provocative "Grand Bargain" to solve the problem. They propose that "the five" -- Washington, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, and Moscow -- give North Korea $2 billion a year in economic aid in exchange for Pyongyang's abandoning all nuclear activities and allowing full inspections. This deal would be accompanied by reductions in conventional forces in North and South Korea and in U.S. troops stationed in East Asia -- all of which would hasten Korean reunification. Theirs is a bold vision, supported by detailed knowledge of North Korea and rigorous analysis of technical challenges. Events, however, may be starting to overtake them. The Bush administration's multilateral approach has attracted Pyongyang's interest, and Beijing has welcomed the possibility of playing a greater role. Still, the book has great value as a model for analyzing problems of nuclear proliferation and for understanding North Korea.