On August 8, President Donald Trump declared he would quickly seal a deal with North Korea to end the nuclear standoff if re-elected. The only thing holding back agreement, he said, was the uncertainty caused by the election.
Such optimistic claims, however, run counter to reality. North Korea has been able to develop nuclear weapons despite a formidable coalition of opposing countries, including not only the United States and its regional partners but also China, a vital ally.
Pyongyang has committed itself to the ‘complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula’ but this has not happened, despite the coalition’s use of both carrot and stick. North Korea is likely to remain a nuclear state for the foreseeable future.
