Multilateral Diplomacy and Denuclearization: US-North Korea Relations

This essay examines the diplomatic relationship between the United States and North Korea, focusing on the potential benefits of multilateralism in achieving denuclearization. The author argues that involving nations like China, Russia, and Japan in negotiations could exert greater international pressure on North Korea than bilateral talks alone. This approach could facilitate "strategic strangulation" and "non-coercive diplomacy." The essay contrasts the failures of unilateral negotiations with the potential of multilateralism, citing North Korea's missile tests and the façade of normalcy maintained during diplomatic events as evidence of the need for a new approach. The author concludes that the United States could achieve better results by leveraging multilateralism and related strategies to encourage North Korea to denuclearize. The essay references key academic sources to support its arguments.

Running head: PRACTICE OF DIPLOMACY
PRACTICE OF DIPLOMACY
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1PRACTICE OF DIPLOMACY
What if the United States of America rather than using the bilateral negotiation process
uses multilateralism to establish diplomatic relations with China, Japan, Russia and other nations
which are also seeking the denuclearization of North Korea? The inclusion of the nations like
China, Russia and others in the diplomatic negotiations that is being undertaken between USA
and North Korea presently for the purpose of attaining denuclearization is likely to yield
substantial results. For instance, it is likely to put a much large amount of international pressure
on the nation of North Korea to undertake the process of denuclearization than was placed upon
it in the earlier times by the national government of USA. This can be explained on the basis of
the fact that the nation of North Korea shares active relationship with the nations of China,
Russia, Japan and others because of the active trade relation that North Korea shares with them
(Theguardian.com, 2019). This in turn is likely to facilitate the usage of the process of “strategic
strangulation” over North Korea. Furthermore, the usage of this measure would also enable USA
to effectively use the process of “non-coercive diplomacy” and thereby attain its objective of
making North Korea undertake the process of denuclearization.
As stated by Cox (2016), the construct of multilateralism had gained a substantial amount
of prominence within the framework of international politics and is largely being used by the
different nations for the purpose of facilitating diplomatic relations among diverse nations.
Rudebeck, Törnquist and Rojas (2016) are of the viewpoint that the process of multilateralism
requires the different nations to form alliances that are meant for the achievement of some
common objectives or goals. The application of this construct for the resolution of the diplomatic
lockdown that USA and North Korea are facing is likely to help in the effective resolution of the
concerned situation.

2PRACTICE OF DIPLOMACY
The diplomatic negotiations between the nations of USA and North Korea have failed to
yield the desired results related to the denuclearization. For instance, it had been seen that despite
the negotiations, the nation of North Korea tested some short-range missiles which were being
followed by two more short-range projectiles into the sea (Pak, 2019). This was in clear violation
of the terms of the diplomatic negotiation which is being undertaken by the diplomats of the two
nations under discussion here. More importantly, it had been seen that when the government
heads of the two nations met at a diplomatic events the façade of normalcy was being maintained
by both of them which clearly indicates the failure of the unilateral negotiations between the two
nations under discussion here (Washingtonpost.com, 2019). Thus, it is likely that the two nations
would be able to attain much better results through the usage of the multilateralism approach by
the inclusion of the other nations like China, Russia and others.
To conclude, the usage of diplomatic negotiations for the resolution of the diplomatic
lockdown between USA and North Korea had failed to yield adequate results. Thus, it is likely
that the nation of USA would be able to achieve far better results if it takes the help of the
processes of multilateralism, “non-coercive diplomacy”, “strategic strangulation” and others to
make North Korea undertake the process of denuclearization.

3PRACTICE OF DIPLOMACY
References
Cox, R. W. (Ed.). (2016). The new realism: Perspectives on multilateralism and world order.
Springer.
Pak, J. (2019). Trump and Kim can’t fix the US-North Korea problem on their own. Retrieved 30
September 2019, from
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2019/07/08/trump-and-kim-cant-fix-
the-us-north-korea-problem-on-their-own/
Rudebeck, L., Törnquist, O., & Rojas, V. (2016). Democratization in the Third World: Concrete
Cases in Comparative and Theoretical Perspective. Springer.
Theguardian.com, (2019). North Korea calls Pompeo 'poisonous' to diplomacy | North Korea |
The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2019, from
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/23/north-korea-calls-mike-pompeo-
poisonous-to-diplomacy
Washingtonpost.com, (2019). The ‘small deal’ is the only diplomatic way forward with North
Korea. Retrieved 30 September 2019, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/the-small-deal-is-the-only-
diplomatic-way-forward-with-north-korea/2019/07/04/abb38220-9ded-11e9-b27f-
ed2942f73d70_story.html