Danger and Opportunity: Australia and the North Korea Crisis
Release of an Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) Policy Briefing on North Korea
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute today released Danger and Opportunity: Australia and the North Korea Crisis.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has created an acute policy challenge for the international community. Australia has significant interests in the crisis in North Korea, in the way it develops, and in the longer-term implications for the balance of power in the Western Pacific.
This paper examines the crisis on the Korean Peninsula from an Australian perspective, and explores the longer-term issues underlying the current situation. It traces the history of the crisis, analyses the interests of the major regional players, and outlines three broad scenarios for how the crisis could unfold.
It also sets out the following possible ways in which Australia could play a part:
Creative diplomacy
Opening the windows
Reducing tension
Preparing for the worst
Reaping benefits
To find a copy of the report go to ASPI’s web site: http://www.aspi.org.au