Leonid Petrov, Research Associate at the Australian National University, writes, “As for North Korea’s erratic behaviour in rejecting the nuclear sampling and verification process, again it is the conservative mood that dominates today’s Pyongyang… Every time when Washington reneged on its promises given at the Six Party Talks it would undermine the power of the liberal group in Pyongyang.”

Yukio Okamoto, President of Okamoto Associates, Inc. and a former Special Advisor to two prime ministers, writes, “Rather than further pledges of integration, I believe that advisors to the new American president would be more impressed with Japan’s demonstrating a greater self-reliance and autonomy in security affairs.”

K.A. Namkung, Foreign Policy Adviser to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson,and Leon V. Sigal, Director of the Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Projectat the Social Science Research Council, write, “getting North Korea to reverse course now will not be easy, but a comprehensive approach is needed if the next administration is to give Pyongyang more of a stake in keeping deals. Italso would give Washington its first real leverage: U.S. steps could be withheld if – and only if – Pyongyang does not follow through on its commitments.”