Predictably, the United States condemned Russia’s embrace of North Korea, but Pyongyang’s new strategic convergence with Moscow has not prompted the Biden administration to reassess U.S. policy despite representing arguably one of the most positive geostrategic developments for North Korea since the end of the Cold War. Moreover, Washington’s muted reactions to Pyongyang’s unprecedented flurry of missile activity in 2022 and 2023 indicates a general normalization of the North Korean nuclear program. It is important to remember that North Korea also has a fundamental interest in avoiding unwanted nuclear war. It also risks undermining the deterrent value of the alliance’s conventional capabilities and heightening escalation risks by implying that only nuclear weapons can effectively deter nuclear weapons. Kim’s rapprochement with Russia may make it tempting to entirely write off U.S. engagement with a nuclear-armed North Korea.
