Iran and North Korea's Nuclear Program

Lesetipp:
inFocus - David Ibsen: Learning Lessons From North Korea's Nuclear Program

North Korea's strategy of using its missile and nuclear programs to achieve security, recognition, and aid has been remarkably successful. North Korea receives diplomatic attention from the international community on a scale far greater than its economic and political importance justifies. North Korea has little to no economic potential, a retrograde political system, and one of the most isolated and repressed populations on Earth. Its political system is maintained only through a combination of international aid and revenue obtained via widespread criminal activities.

By playing the villain, however, North Korea has managed to get what it wants from the international community. Using the threat of nuclear weapons and its potential for destabilizing the region, North Korea has drawn the international community into a series of negotiations, from which it wrangles considerable concessions, including fuel, food, currency, security guarantees, and diplomatic recognition.