North Korea Deserves the Diplomacy of Silence

WSJ Opinion Journal ^ | June 10, 2009 | Edward N. Luttwak

[Schnucki]

What Churchill called 'jaw-jaw' has produced nothing, except more provocations.

In recent weeks, North Korea has detonated a nuclear bomb and violated U.N. Security Council prohibitions by launching ballistic missiles. It has threatened war against South Korea, repudiating the July 1953 armistice agreement and thus ostensibly reverting to a state of war with the United States. It has also sentenced two American journalists -- Euna Lee and Laura Ling -- to 12 years in a labor camp.

These are extreme provocations. Only a military attack could exceed them. Our response, of course, must be diplomatic. But only a very special kind of diplomacy can yield positive results: a diplomacy of silence.

Under it, no communications whatever would be sent to the North Korean regime, there would be no informal dialogues with any North Korean diplomats anywhere, and, above all, no attempt would be made to renew negotiations in any format.

This would contradict all the usual doctrines and preferences of diplomats. Their instinct is to talk with every adversary with whom it is possible to talk. Historically inclined diplomats often cite pugnacious Winston Churchill's dictum that it is always better to "jaw-jaw than war-war."

When there is no diplomatic recognition to be traded in exchange for concessions, diplomats assume that talking is always a good idea because words cost nothing but can produce tangible results.

This time that is the wrong assumption. For years, the U.S., China, the Russian Federation, Japan and South Korea have been patiently negotiating with North Korea, offering economic aid, security guarantees, and the benefits of "normalization" in exchange for it abandoning its nuclear programs. South Korea provided advance payments in the form of investments, food aid and large cash gifts.

Thus over a period of years, while the dictatorship of Kim Jong Il continued to

[Mr. K]

"Our response, of course, must be diplomatic"

Of course...

[mkjessup]

"The best diplomat I know, is a fully charged phaser bank"

-Lt Commander Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineering Officer,
U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701

[rod1]

Yes and the Albrights and Clintons of US diplomacy have

1) ensured another decade-plus of misery to be inflicted on the people of NK
and
2) brought the world to the brink of a possible nuclear war

[econjack]

This guys nails it. I've always wondered how we can be so friggin’ stupid with NK. Any time they rattle their sabers, we rush in and, in typical political fashion, throw money at the problem. Screw that! It's time to just take them off the table and let them eat dirt.

[gogogodzilla]

Simply return to the same negotiation pattern we used prior to what the Bush, Clintoon, Bush, Obama’s all used.

IE: we are willing to negotiate your formal end to the Korean War and eventual absorption into the South Korea. Anything provocation will be met with an overwhelming show of force.

Also, re-install nuclear weapons into South Korea. Build and field neutron bombs. Target the major population centers, manufacturing sites, and military bases. And let it be known that we desire nothing more than an excuse to exterminate all life in North Korea.

They’ll shut up if confronted with that.