Building six-party capacity for a WMD-Free Korea

The unprecedented series of six-party talks now under way in an effort to resolve the standoff over North Korea's nuclear and broader WMD-related activities herald a new and indelibly regional dynamic that portends a brighter future for Northeast Asia. Even if the current process does not achieve all its objectives, the multilateral legacy that the six-party interactions would nonetheless leave behind should not be squandered away or left unattended. In this context, there is a need to coordinate regional efforts not only on the deal-making process (or the front end) regarding North Korea's WMD programs (i.e., developing the political and economic motivations for an initial agreement), but also on back-end issues relating to how the logistical and technical process of dismantling the DPRK's nuclear weapons program and facilitating the country's engagement with the international community could actually unfold. While the six-party talks began as a diplomatic process, the opportunity exists for this mechanism to evolve from a purely diplomatic function into a more institutionalized body with certain logistical and technical capabilities that can provide legitimacy for, and augment, the contributions of the IAEA, international financial institutions, and other UN agencies. This can only happen, however, if Korean political and socio-cultural sensitivities are acknowledged and addressed and if the six-party process can make tip for the divergent threat perceptions and the lack of trust and confidence that exists among the central actors.