Defense Priorities Defense Priorities
  • Policy Topics
    • Israel-Iran
    • Ukraine-Russia
    • NATO
    • China
    • Syria
  • Research
    • Briefs
    • Explainers
    • Reports
  • Programs
    • Grand Strategy Program
    • Military Analysis Program
    • Asia Program
    • Middle East Program
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Media
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • People
    • Jobs
    • Contact
  • Donate
Select Page
Home / North Korea / What would Kamala Harris do on North Korea?
North Korea, Asia

August 23, 2024

What would Kamala Harris do on North Korea?

By Daniel DePetris

Every U.S. president over the last two decades has arrived at the White House thinking that with enough perseverance, resolve and dexterity, they can solve—or at the least substantially mitigate—the North Korea conundrum. Without fail, every single U.S. president over the last two decades has left that very same building passing on the conundrum to their successors.

President George W. Bush entered the job highly skeptical of the Clinton administration’s “Agreed Framework” deal with Pyongyang, tore it up, and began the process of enacting a U.N. Security Council sanctions regime against the North Korean economy to pressure the Kim dynasty into eliminating its nuclear weapons program. The result: failure.

In 2009, President Barack Obama vowed to talk to Washington’s traditional adversaries if they were willing to “unclench” their fists and in 2012 even arrived at an understanding with the North Koreans known as the “Leap Day Deal,” which traded a nuclear and missile launch moratorium for U.S. aid. Yet after that arrangement blew up months later, Obama largely gave up on diplomacy with the North, spending the rest of his presidency piling on the sanctions pressure and hoping Pyongyang would reform its ways.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, started blustery but came to see top-level diplomacy with Kim Jong-un as his best chance to wriggle something out of the North. It didn’t work; the two men walked away from their second summit in Hanoi in February 2019 with nothing to show for it. As far as President Biden’s tenure, there’s frankly nothing much to say.

If Kamala Harris wins the 2024 election, she will face the same problem many of her peers confronted: a North Korea steadfastly committed to retaining its nuclear weapons arsenal. The only difference is that North Korea has more of those weapons in its stockpile today than it did previously, not to mention an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program, newer launch platforms to shoot off those missiles if the time comes, and a more impatient Kim Jong-un who no longer seems to care whether Washington extends him an olive branch or not.

Read at The National Interest

Author

Photo of Daniel DePetris

Daniel
DePetris

Fellow

Defense Priorities

More on Asia

In the mediaChina, Air power, Asia, Balance of power, Global posture, Land power, Naval power

What does China’s military gain from operating 2 aircraft carriers in second island chain?

Featuring Lyle Goldstein

June 13, 2025

op-edNorth Korea, Air power, Asia, Balance of power, Global posture, Land power, Naval power

Trump’s North Korea conundrum

By Daniel DePetris

June 12, 2025

In the mediaMilitary analysis, Asia, Naval power

Jennifer Kavanagh on BBC News: Review of AUKUS pact is warranted

Featuring Jennifer Kavanagh

June 11, 2025

op-edAsia

US-Korea alliance to change under Lee Jae-myung

By Daniel DePetris

June 10, 2025

op-edAsia

The US-ROK alliance will change under Lee Jae-myung

By Daniel DePetris

June 4, 2025

op-edChina, Asia, Taiwan

How big of a threat is China really?

By Daniel DePetris

June 3, 2025

Events on North Korea

See All Events
in-personNorth Korea, Asia, Deterrence, Diplomacy, Nuclear weapons

Past In-Person Event: Ending the North Korea standoff

March 5, 2018
in-personGrand strategy, Iran, North Korea, Nuclear weapons

Past In-Person Event: Managing nuclear proliferation crises

October 30, 2017

Receive expert foreign policy analysis

Join the hub of realism and restraint

Expert updates and analysis to enhance your understanding of vital U.S. national security issues

Defense Priority Mono Logo

Our mission is to inform citizens, thought leaders, and policymakers of the importance of a strong, dynamic military—used more judiciously to protect America’s narrowly defined national interests—and promote a realistic grand strategy prioritizing restraint, diplomacy, and free trade to ensure U.S. security.

  • About
  • For Media
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact
© 2025 Defense Priorities All Right Reserved