Introduction
Every president in the United States of America normally ascend to power with the promise to denuclearize North Korea but when they get to white house seemingly the zeal wears off and adopt policies which are somehow less reactive. North Korea has continued to be a threat to world peace especially with its nuclear tests and missiles launches even declaring itself a nuclear state at some point. South Korea, a key ally of America continues to suffer as a result of the effects of Pyongyang’s missile launch and nuclear tests. Since the days of George Bush senior to Trump right now, North Korea has continued to be a threat to the United States and its allies on the Korean peninsula. The issue of nuclear weapons and missiles in the country will not just go away. The country is using the same weapons to intimidate and threaten American allies like South Korea and Japan. The main thus is, what are the policies in place to deal with this menace? This paper will look at the recent presidencies and the foreign policy that that have employed in dealing with North Korea.
The Obama foreign policy on North Korea
When President Obama was campaigning in 2008, he was keen on dealing with the matter of North Korea and many Americans thought that he would go full throttle on matter denuclearization of the country. He however slowed down one he was in power. He pushed for the policy that was put in place by the previous administration of George Bush, which was all about the six party talks. These six party talks were meant to call North Korea to self-destruct and end the arms race in the country. The approach failed terribly as the country went on to test missiles, which affected the South Korea, a key ally of America. Obama then employed the strategic patience policy and not the constructive engagement that many were hoping for. Strategic patience is a policy that allows nations to change behavior and give room for negotiation even as sanctions follow should there be no change. It is a lenient way of dealing with issues on the global front. Obama thus was not robust in his dealing with North Korea, allowing the country to stage numerous provocations without response.
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The Trump foreign policy on North Korea
Trump has taken a conscious approach to the matter of North Korea. He has taken it upon himself to plan a summit with the North Korean leader on the issue of denuclearization. The conscious approach comes with pressure on North Korea in a bid to have a decisive action from North Korea. In addition, has not been waiting passively for the North Koreans to respond and make decision. In the first summit in Singapore, Trump went into negotiations with Kim but it is interesting that the negotiation began with no document only for the same to be drawn later after the two presidents met in Singapore. It is worth noting that from the summit, Trump unilaterally decided to pull out of drills that were taking place in US ally territories ( Fleitz 2018) . This is despite the fact that Pyongyang had not made any clear commitment on denuclearization. Trump has therefore employed constructive engagement and at times show strategic patience in the process.
Conclusion
Every president has a way of dealing with pertinent issues affecting the country including the issue of North Korea. Protecting the interests as well as the territories of the United States of America is the role of the president. To protect the country some presidents become negotiators and employ the conscious constructive engagement while other employ the strategic patience.
References
Fleitz, F. (2018). The coming North Korea nuclear nightmare: what Trump must do to reverse Obamas "strategic patience" . Washington, D.C.: Center for Security Policy Press.
Pritchard, C. L., Tilelli, J. H., Snyder, S., & Council on Foreign Relations. (2010). U.S. policy toward the Korean peninsula . New York, NY: Council on Foreign Relations.
Indyk, M., Lieberthal, K., & OHanlon, M. E. (2013). Bending history: Barack Obamas foreign policy . Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.
Jackson, V. (2019). On the brink: Trump, Kim, and the threat of nuclear war . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jones, B. (2014). Still ours to lead: America, rising powers, and the tension between rivalry and restraint . Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
