NAPSNet Daily Report 15 August, 2008

Policy Forum 08-062: Vietnam’s Model for North Korea

Michael E. O’Hanlon, Senior Foreign Policy Fellow at the Brookings Institution, writes, “Our real carrots are not taking North Korea off terrorism and enemy watch lists; doing so provides little direct benefit to the reclusive regime. The carrots are aid, trade, investment and diplomatic contact. We need a strategy for how to offer these enticements to leaders in Pyongyang.”

Read a discussion of this article here.

Policy Forum 08-061: Russia’s ‘Power Politics’ and North Korea

Leonid Petrov, Research Associate at the Australian National University, writes, “In this light, Russian-Korean relations can be seen as based on a solid footing and replete with opportunities that can benefit each of them. The new administrations in the Kremlin and Seoul’s “Blue House”, together with the new generation of leaders in Pyongyang, can radically change the political climate in the region. A simple strengthening of economic relationships between the three countries will contribute to the peaceful solution of the “Korean nuclear problem” and prepare the basis for durable peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia.”