Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16), who joined 67 of his House colleagues in sending the letter, said, “North Korea’s continued development of nuclear arms and refusal to obey U.N. Security Council Resolutions is a very serious cause of concern, and it must be taken seriously. We must be strategic, we must work with our allies, and we must be steadfast in our resolve.”
The letter notes that North Korea’s “rapidly advancing nuclear and missile capabilities threaten the United States and our allies,” and that the U.S. can successfully navigate this increasingly critical security situation with a strong and comprehensive strategy. The House Democratic National Security Task Force is co-chaired by Representatives Seth Moulton (MA-6), Stephanie Murphy (FL-7), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-20).
The full text of the letter is below and the signed letter can be found here.
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Dear Mr. President,
We write to urge you to adopt a strong, strategic and steady policy toward North Korea, whose rapidly advancing nuclear and missile capabilities threaten the United States and our allies.
We acknowledge two fundamental points. First, North Korea’s dangerous and destabilizing actions, in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions dating back to 2006, are the root cause of tensions between North Korea and the international community. Nevertheless, we believe your rhetoric in response has been counterproductive, escalating an already-dangerous situation. Second, while North Korea has been described as “the land of lousy options,” we believe the U.S. can maximize the chance of success by charting a careful course that avoids capitulation to, or catastrophic war with, North Korea.
In our view, U.S. strategy toward North Korea should be guided by the following principles.
- Increase Economic Pressure on North Korea Through the Imposition and Effective Enforcement of Sanctions
While multilateral agreement to impose sanctions requires a significant diplomatic commitment, effective enforcement of sanctions involves even more time and resources. Far more should be done to ensure that other nations, including but not limited to China, are fulfilling their legal obligations. If a country has the will but not the ability to enforce sanctions against North Korea, the U.S. should offer technical or financial assistance. Conversely, if a country possesses the capacity but not the desire to implement sanctions, American officials should make clear to that country that it risks a fundamental breach in our bilateral relationship. The U.S. intelligence community, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of State should monitor, address and—where appropriate—penalize non-compliance in accordance with U.S. sanctions law.
- Enhance U.S. Diplomatic Efforts, Especially Crisis Management Channels
In the interim, the U.S. must establish effective crisis-management channels with North Korea to clarify intentions and minimize the risk of miscalculation. When the U.S. communicates clearly and consistently to an adversary, it makes it less likely that the adversary will intentionally or inadvertently begin a conflict.
- Strengthen, Don’t Subvert, Alliances in East Asia
Furthermore, while we have a range of views on the 2012 U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, we believe that now is the wrong time for the administration to engage in loose talk about unilateral withdrawal from the agreement. Kim Jong-un seeks to undermine the relationship between the U.S. and South Korea and to cause South Korea to question the credibility of our commitments. We should stand steadfast with our allies, not further Kim’s efforts to divide us.
- Recognize that Personnel is Policy
- Maintain Deterrence and Defense
Rather than using reckless rhetoric and sending muddled messages to our allies, the U.S. should pursue a comprehensive strategy toward North Korea that consists of economic pressure, strong and steady diplomacy, and credible deterrence and defense.
Sincerely,
Source: Congressman Jim Costa