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The Way Forward on North Korea: Explained

It is often difficult to figure out what to make of recent developments on North Korea and what the United States should do next; these one-pagers help you to understand the policy debate and where the United States should go from here.

North Korea holds a military parade in Kim Il Sung Square to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean People's Army, February 2018. (Getty/AFP/KCNA/KNS)
North Korea holds a military parade in Kim Il Sung Square to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean People's Army, February 2018. (Getty/AFP/KCNA/KNS)

North Korea poses a serious challenge to U.S. national security. The United States needs a proactive, comprehensive, and consistent strategy on North Korea—one that is led by diplomacy and bolstered by deterrence, pressure, and containment. While the United States has been dealing with this threat for decades, events often move quickly and unpredictably on the Korean Peninsula. With so much uncertainty over the future of U.S. policy on North Korea, the Center for American Progress has created a series of one-pagers that help cut through the noise and explain what a strategy should look like; outline specific recommendations for each component of the strategy—diplomacy, deterrence, and pressure; and sift through the myths surrounding the North Korea policy debate.

The fact sheets are accessible below:

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