But North Korea is not like South Africa. “This is one of many reasons to be skeptical that there is much chance of it happening.”There are some parallels between South Africa and North Korea. Both countries were essentially alone and surrounded by enemies when they decided to acquire atomic weapons—South Africa in the mid-1970s and North Korea in the 1980s. “Like South Africa, [North Korea] developed a fully fledged nuclear program in defiance of internal opprobrium and sanctions,” Mariana Budjeryn, a Harvard nuclear expert, told The Daily Beast. The key to divining Pyongyang’s willingness to truly end its nuclear program is looking for evidence of domestic political reform, Budjeryn said.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 01, 2018 09:00 UTC