Number: RL33709
Title: North Korea's Nuclear Test: Motivations, Implications, and U.S. Options
Authors: Emma Chanlett-Avery and Sharon Squassoni, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: The most fundamental U.S. goals of the confrontation with North Korea are to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to prevent an attack - either nuclear or conventional - on the United States or on its allies in the region. The options available to U.S. policymakers to pursue these goals include the acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear power, bilateral or multilateral negotiations, heightened legal and economic pressure on North Korea, adoption of a regime change policy through non-military means, military action or threats, and withdrawal from the conflict.
Pages: 19
Date: December 12, 2006