Everyone
agrees that North Korea, with its nuclear weapons and missile systems, is a
danger to world peace. They also agree that China is a key factor in resolving
the North Korean problem. China is worried about a mass exodus from North Korea
while also worried about other countries (e.g., the United States) becoming a
material factor in resolving the problem.
The U.S.
should use diplomatic backchannels to suggest to China that, if North Korea becomes destabilized,
China should impose itself on North Korea.
The Chinese
would treat North Korea as a protectorate with oversight by the United
Nations. China would bring stability and new concepts of domestic and foreign
policy. It would bring ‘market socialism’ to the North Korean economy so that
they could eventually feed themselves and develop a more productive industrial
economy. In time, North Koreans would grow to become an independent, self-governing
responsible state.
