United States-DPRK Relations: Is Normalization Possible?
October 11, 2019
North Korea has been U.S. diplomacy’s most difficult challenge for decades. The resiliency of Pyongyang despite international sanctions, transformation of former Communist patrons, and economic collapse is remarkable. In this new report, Dr. Anastasia Barannikova writes that although the U.S.-North Korea dialogue did not result in a symbolic document, it is not a complete failure and can be marked as an achievement in and of itself. Still, the road to normalization of relations is hampered by major obstacles despite Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump’s positive personal relationship and mutual interest in normalization. This report looks at the key factors preventing normalization between the United States and North Korea and offers possible ways of achieving a compromise that takes both parties’ interests into account.
Anastasia Barannikova was a visiting fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Program at CSIS from January to May 2019.
This publication was made possible by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the author.