This letter is the 10th in the "Letters to President Biden" series aimed at conveying policy recommendations through open letters from politicians, scholars and experts to the new U.S. president following his Jan. 20 inauguration. ― ED.
By John Burton
Dear Mr. President,
Sitting here in Washington, D.C., it's a relief to see how quickly the city has returned to normal following your inauguration, after four years of living through Crazytown. You have made a great start in addressing such issues as curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, repairing the economy, tackling climate change, and reducing racial and political divisions. But your understandable focus on domestic issues has distracted you when it comes to foreign policy issues, including the growing challenge from China, and trying to renew a nuclear deal with Iran.
It is obvious that North Korea has slipped down your list of priorities with so much else on your plate. The State Department has said that your national security team will only engage North Korea after an extensive policy review is completed, as it wants to avoid moving "too soon" while it consults with regional allies. This language almost suspiciously sounds like the "strategic patience" strategy that the Obama administration pursued when you were vice-president, which shunned engagement with Pyongyang unless it rolled back its nuclear program.
Although you may want to ignore North Korea for the time being, North Korea will not ignore you. There is speculation that Pyongyang might be tempted to resume conducting tests of long-range missiles or even a nuclear bomb to force itself back on the agenda of your administration.
To avoid an unnecessary crisis with North Korea, it is time for you to take a bold step by declaring the Korean War over after nearly 70 years, and to begin negotiating a peace treaty as an important step toward achieving North Korea's denuclearization.
Such a move would break the cycle of threat and counter-threat that has fueled North Korea's quest to build up its nuclear arsenal, and would instead begin the process of building mutual trust ― essential for any nuclear deal.
Although some might argue that declaring the Korean War over and replacing the current armistice with a peace treaty might be viewed as giving a big concession to Pyongyang, it could also prove to be politically popular. More and more Americans, both on the left and the right, are sick of "endless wars."
President Trump recognized this reality when he agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jung-un three times. There appears to be little appetite among the American public for another conflict involving U.S. troops on the Korean peninsula to stop North Korea's nuclear build-up. Instead, there is a strong preference for using diplomatic engagement to solve the problem.
Starting a peace treaty process would help create the basis for regional cooperation among the three signatories to the 1953 Korean War armistice ― the U.S., China and North Korea ― as well as South Korea. China has already expressed its support for some type of peace agreement, while President Moon Jae-in views this process as an opportunity to improve inter-Korean ties.
Four-party peace talks would establish a venue for discussing a wide range of issues, including denuclearization, sanctions relief and normalizing relations between Washington and Pyongyang. It could also prove helpful in improving Sino-American relations, as both countries share the same goal when it comes to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The peace process would reduce Pyongyang's paranoia about outside threats, which has provided the rationale for its nuclear program. It would confirm previous commitments by the U.S., such as in the 1994 Framework Agreement, to establish a political relationship with North Korea, while providing Washington with a clearer understanding of Pyongyang's future goals.
As president, you must make it clear to potential opponents that an "end-of-war declaration" marks only the first step to a peace treaty, and that they will have an opportunity to debate the merits of a final settlement when a peace treaty is later submitted to the Senate for ratification. You should also emphasize that any progress in the peace treaty negotiations must be matched in terms of actions by North Korea to gradually reduce its nuclear arsenal.
The most common criticism of a peace treaty among the national security establishment in Washington is that it would lead to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea. But this proposition has never been tested. Indeed, North Korea has dropped hints over the years that it would like to see some form of continued U.S. military presence on the Korean peninsula, even after a peace treaty is signed, to counterbalance the influence of China.
In addition to making an end-of-war declaration, you could also take several other initiatives toward North Korea: one would be to instruct U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to ease her department's strict guidelines on the delivery of humanitarian aid to North Korea by American NGOs; another would be to lend public support to inter-Korean cooperative projects being proposed by President Moon.
Now is the time to take bold action on North Korea, Mr. President. In doing so, you can set down a marker for assertive action in foreign policy that will be to your credit.
Sincerely,
John Burton
John Burton (johnburtonft@yahoo.com), a former Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and consultant.
By John Burton
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Sitting here in Washington, D.C., it's a relief to see how quickly the city has returned to normal following your inauguration, after four years of living through Crazytown. You have made a great start in addressing such issues as curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, repairing the economy, tackling climate change, and reducing racial and political divisions. But your understandable focus on domestic issues has distracted you when it comes to foreign policy issues, including the growing challenge from China, and trying to renew a nuclear deal with Iran.
It is obvious that North Korea has slipped down your list of priorities with so much else on your plate. The State Department has said that your national security team will only engage North Korea after an extensive policy review is completed, as it wants to avoid moving "too soon" while it consults with regional allies. This language almost suspiciously sounds like the "strategic patience" strategy that the Obama administration pursued when you were vice-president, which shunned engagement with Pyongyang unless it rolled back its nuclear program.
Although you may want to ignore North Korea for the time being, North Korea will not ignore you. There is speculation that Pyongyang might be tempted to resume conducting tests of long-range missiles or even a nuclear bomb to force itself back on the agenda of your administration.
To avoid an unnecessary crisis with North Korea, it is time for you to take a bold step by declaring the Korean War over after nearly 70 years, and to begin negotiating a peace treaty as an important step toward achieving North Korea's denuclearization.
Such a move would break the cycle of threat and counter-threat that has fueled North Korea's quest to build up its nuclear arsenal, and would instead begin the process of building mutual trust ― essential for any nuclear deal.
Although some might argue that declaring the Korean War over and replacing the current armistice with a peace treaty might be viewed as giving a big concession to Pyongyang, it could also prove to be politically popular. More and more Americans, both on the left and the right, are sick of "endless wars."
President Trump recognized this reality when he agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jung-un three times. There appears to be little appetite among the American public for another conflict involving U.S. troops on the Korean peninsula to stop North Korea's nuclear build-up. Instead, there is a strong preference for using diplomatic engagement to solve the problem.
Starting a peace treaty process would help create the basis for regional cooperation among the three signatories to the 1953 Korean War armistice ― the U.S., China and North Korea ― as well as South Korea. China has already expressed its support for some type of peace agreement, while President Moon Jae-in views this process as an opportunity to improve inter-Korean ties.
Four-party peace talks would establish a venue for discussing a wide range of issues, including denuclearization, sanctions relief and normalizing relations between Washington and Pyongyang. It could also prove helpful in improving Sino-American relations, as both countries share the same goal when it comes to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The peace process would reduce Pyongyang's paranoia about outside threats, which has provided the rationale for its nuclear program. It would confirm previous commitments by the U.S., such as in the 1994 Framework Agreement, to establish a political relationship with North Korea, while providing Washington with a clearer understanding of Pyongyang's future goals.
As president, you must make it clear to potential opponents that an "end-of-war declaration" marks only the first step to a peace treaty, and that they will have an opportunity to debate the merits of a final settlement when a peace treaty is later submitted to the Senate for ratification. You should also emphasize that any progress in the peace treaty negotiations must be matched in terms of actions by North Korea to gradually reduce its nuclear arsenal.
The most common criticism of a peace treaty among the national security establishment in Washington is that it would lead to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea. But this proposition has never been tested. Indeed, North Korea has dropped hints over the years that it would like to see some form of continued U.S. military presence on the Korean peninsula, even after a peace treaty is signed, to counterbalance the influence of China.
In addition to making an end-of-war declaration, you could also take several other initiatives toward North Korea: one would be to instruct U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to ease her department's strict guidelines on the delivery of humanitarian aid to North Korea by American NGOs; another would be to lend public support to inter-Korean cooperative projects being proposed by President Moon.
Now is the time to take bold action on North Korea, Mr. President. In doing so, you can set down a marker for assertive action in foreign policy that will be to your credit.
Sincerely,
John Burton
John Burton (johnburtonft@yahoo.com), a former Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and consultant.
