From Pyongyang to Tehran, Curbing the Nuclear Threat

From regime change in North Korea to Iran’s announcement of a new uranium enrichment plant, 2012 began with unsettling news of nuclear proliferation. While these two nations pose what many consider the most serious threat to US national security, efforts to stop their nuclear programs have yielded little progress. Between 2003 and 2009, US officials saw both diplomatic and military threats ignored as North Korea increased its stockpiles of nuclear material from one or two bombs worth to as much as eleven. Similarly, negotiations with Iran have stalled as the US and European nations call for further sanctions. What, if any, of these tactics will finally yield progress? Philip Yun and Joe Cirincione will discuss the US and the international community’s successes and failures in pacifying these threats, and compare the track records of the two groups. They will also explore the broader lessons that can be applied to future nuclear threats.