To be successful, the upcoming administration policy review requires more than a touch of realism about Washington’s diplomacy. Can Kim be sold on denuclearization? Doubtful. Can he be convinced on disarmament? Maybe. To have any chance of doing so, however, the United States must address its shortcomings, sell its position, and honor its promises. 

Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is author of Tripwire: Korea and U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changed World and co-author of The Korean Conundrum: America’s Troubled Relations with North and South Korea.

Image: Reuters.