Diplomacy and deterrence
By Tong KimIn a 24-page document on Interim National Security Strategic Guidance released March 3, President Joe Biden instructed his security team still developing a new strategy toward North Korea to employ “diplomacy as our tool of first resort.” The new guidance said the administration will “empower diplomats to work to reduce the threats posed by North Korea's growing nuclear and missile programs, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Republic of Korea and Japan.”Biden's guidance did not mention “the denuclearization of North Korea” as an overarching goal of his policy. Reduction of the threats from North Korea would be an initial objective by curbing and containing an ever-increasing North Korean arsenal, while working toward ultimate denuclearization.On the other hand, his plan for empowering diplomats confirms Biden's earlier statement that he would discard the failed top-down diplomacy practiced by his predecessor and return to the normal bottom-up approach, starting at a working-level.Washington is calling for the strengthening of allian