North Korea agreed Tuesday to take the first step towards nuclear disarmament and shut down its main reactor within 60 days before eventually dismantling its atomic weapons program.
Under the deal, Pyongyang will receive an initial 50,000 tons worth of aid in heavy fuel oil for shutting down and sealing its main nuclear reactor, to be confirmed by international inspectors. For “irreversibly disabling the reactor and declaring all nuclear programs, North Korea will eventually receive another 950,000 tons in aid”. What is very important about the agreement is that it not only resolves the North Korea nuclear issue itself but, in a further step, it includes a clause for discussions, negotiations on establishing a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
Despite what critics (especially the opponents in Washington DC) will say on this latest nuclear deal, this diplomatic conduit by its own internal dynamics has the wherewithal to generate a flow of positive energy that touches on bilateral relationship beyond the immediate nuclear realm. For instance, under the agreement, North Korea and United States will also embark on talks aimed at resolving disputes and restarting diplomatic relations. Similarly, Japan will begin bilateral talks with North Korea to normalize their relations. For the two Korean nations bitterly at war with each other, the benefit accruing from the deal is even more promising with the South Korean government having already invited North Korea to resume ministerial talks suspended after its nuclear test last October.
Given that the Korean peninsula has remained in a state of war for more than a half-century since the Korean War ended in a 1953 cease-fire, the good-will impact flowing from this latest nuke deal and the payoffs accruing from it has given all the concerned parties the much needed space to explore peace building options in the region. This in itself is a big achievement and adds to the credibility of the deal both for Washington, Tokyo and Seoul. As far as North Korea is concerned, it has done well to accept the reality of the situation—which is to take the country out of poverty and hunger while refocusing on building up its human and economic resources. For the overall security of its citizens, Pyongyang should abide by the terms of the deal so that the benefits—both economic and political—can be fully realized once the US begin the process of removing North Korea from its designation as a terror-sponsoring state and also ending U.S. trade sanctions. The country’s leadership should also do everything possible to normalize relation with its close door neighbors. If peace prevails then there is no reason as to why the North Asia region cannot emerge as a powerful economic bloc.
For Washington, the deal to engage North Korea is a paradigm shift from its earlier stand and augurs well for its overall foreign policy direction. Although critics have complained that the Bush administration is rewarding North Korea for bad behavior, there was not much of an option as the US, bogged down in Iraq, is in no position to go to war with North Korea, and war is the only other option besides negotiating. With the US opting for a peaceful negotiation on the nuclear face-off with North Korea, there is now no reason why President Bush cannot likewise negotiate with Iran on a similar problem. As with North Korea, Bush could improve his chances by seeking policy change, not regime change.
