Event Summary
Trends on the Asian continent portend an escalating regional competition involving weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery that may lead to nuclear aggression or major-power confrontation. North Korea''s missile and nuclear programs in particular raise tensions and threaten to destabilize the entire region.
On March 30, the Preventive Defense Project (PDP) hosted an "Experts'' Discussion of the North Korea Issue" in Washington. The event launched a new PDP initiative to develop the next steps in addressing the security problems presented by North Korea.
Recent North Korean behavior - from normalization talks with Japan and the North-South Korean summit last summer to Secretary Madeline Albright''s visit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il this winter - suggests that a productive security dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang may soon be possible. But nearly half a century of hostility between the U.S. and North Korea and the hermetic nature of the North Korean government pose formidable challenges to such a process. In addition, the new Bush administration needs time to review U.S. policies toward North Korea.
The Preventive Defense Project plans to devise and promote a strategy for addressing the security threats posed by North Korea, including the possibility of direct, informal "track-two" contacts with North Korea. The recent conference served as a springboard for these activities.
PDP co-directors Ashton Carter of BCSIA and William Perry of Stanford University chaired the meeting along with retired generals John Shalikashvili (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and John Tilelli (former Commander-In-Chief of U.S. and UN Forces in Korea). Perry served as North Korea Policy Coordinator and Carter was his deputy from 1998-2000.
A diverse group of leading scholars and practitioners participated in the conference, including Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization Director Desaix Anderson, former Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Stephen Bosworth, Congressman Tony Hall, International Security Program Director Steven Miller, and former Senator Sam Nunn.
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(Shane Smith contributed to this article.)