Foreign affairs specialists offer concrete proposals.
To the Editor:
“ The Way Forward on North Korea ” (editorial, July 5) points out that to call on China to rein in North Korea is a Big Ask. But that does not mean that China would refuse to respond if the United States offered more than appreciation and vague trade deals in exchange.
The Big Ask calls for a Big Give. China has a great interest in gaining assurances that if the North Korean regime collapses and the two Koreas are unified, the United States will not move its troops to the border with China.
This is a no-cost or low-cost “give” for Washington because once the North Korean nuclear program folds or the regime collapses, the United States would have little reason to move its troops north.
Similarly, the United States could promise to remove the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense missile defense system, which it is installing in South Korea. We do not need this system if the North Korean nuclear program is ended.
In addition, the United States might agree to stop the almost daily reconnaissance flights up and down China’s coast lines, which Beijing finds very troubling and are of little strategic value.
Providing China with strong incentives to curb North Korea is a not a substitute for direct talks, which you favor. On the contrary, it will make them more likely to succeed.
AMITAI ETZIONI, WASHINGTON
The writer, a professor of international relations at George Washington University, is the author of “Avoiding War With China.
