Stephen Bosworth on the Talks

Diplomats are sometimes paid to be cryptic and Ambassador Stephen Bosworth was particularly tight-lipped about the bilaterals. He also probably spun things in a slightly optimistic direction, according to some of what we have subsequently learned.

Now that he has stepped down from his position, though, he has cast some light on US thinking in a short interview for the Council on Foreign Relations.

Some highlights:

• Bosworth believes that both bilateral and multilateral talks will resume over the next year, putting a range of the next couple of months to later next year.
• Interviewer Jayshree Bajoria puts the simple question: is denuclearization likely? Bosworth fudges. He doesn’t say outright that the North Koreans are willing to denuclearize, but nonetheless underlines that the United States cannot give up on the goal. This may seem contradictory, but he squares the two claims by noting that intermediate objectives are worth pursuing, like a freeze on production of fissile material. This is actually an extremely important revelation; not unreasonable but also not uncontroversial.
• On the succession, he does not anticipate an about-face; don’t expect things to shift in Pyongyang.
• Bosworth closes by defending engagement; that we have to keep talking.