In this op-ed for the New York Times, former MTA Executive Director James Walsh and MTA Faculty Affiliate John S. Park argue that, though American diplomats should be proud of the new sanctions on North Korea that the United Nations Security Council passed last week, the key to stopping North Korea's weapons program is completely dismantling the private Chinese firms that help import illicit goods, through cooperation between the United States and China.

James Walsh, Research Associate at the Security Studies Program at MIT and former Research Fellow at the Belfer Center, gave testimony to members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee concerning the diplomatic and strategic ties between Iran and North Korea. He argued that while it is still possible for North Korea to assist Iran on cheating on its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, he argued that the combination of existing safeguards and deterrents and incentives and verification measures put in place under the JCPOA make this outcome unlikely.