The Politics of Economic Sanctions against North Korea: The Bush Administration's Strategy toward a Multilateral Governance

Abstract

On 12 October 2008, as a successful result of Six-Party Talks, the US government removed North Korea from its list of terrorism-sponsoring states, which had been one of the main reasons for economic sanctions against North Korea. Although it could not be viewed as an imminent and irreversible decision, the softening of the Bush administration's position represents a major change in distrustful interactions between the two countries. What made the Bush administration change its policy course against North Korea, which had continued for a quite long time? Regarding the real effectiveness of sanctions against North Korea, this study seeks to focus on the changing perspectives on economic sanctions in US-DPRK relations and the changing strategy of the Bush administration toward North Korea. Eventually the Bush administration did not give up its basic attitudes on the economic sanctions against North Korea, but redesigned its existing unilateral economic sanctions to build multilateral governance over North Korea, which could invite the cooperation of neighboring countries, and secure the validity of North Korean policy more easily. pafo_1037 112..135

The Economic Rehabilitation of North Korea: Prospects after Kim Jong‐il

“…cit ., p. 224. Or, as Sang‐young Rhyu and Jong‐Yun Bae observed: “it is not an exaggeration to say that the border areas between North Korea and China are part of the Chinese economy.” See Rhyu and Bae, “The Politics of Economic Sanctions against North Korea: The Bush Administration's Strategy toward a Multilateral Governance,” Pacific Focus , 25‐1 (April 2010), p. 124.…”