Publication

This publication argues that what North Korea needs most is deeper economic and political engagement with the rest of the world. Sanctions on the country have a disproportionate impact on the weakest members of its society and increase poverty. This threatens the stability of the regime and forces it to increase its investments in its nuclear arsenal as this program enables it to shift people from the military to the civilian economy. The author claims closer engagement with North Korea would also enable these transfers of labor, but without the regime having to rely on nuclear deterrence.