Nor should they loosen most sanctions on North Korea appreciably in return for a freeze; a true détente requires actual North Korean denuclearization and some internal reforms as well. North Korea has cheated on previous deals. North Korea may violate any such accord. At that point, China and South Korea should further tighten the sanctions that Beijing in particular currently prefers to minimize. But American leaders should not fear to negotiate or to accept an interim deal on the path to what we still hope will be eventual North Korean nuclear disarmament.

Source: New York Times July 05, 2017 21:22 UTC