Northeast Asia presents a uniquely dangerous nuclear flashpoint, particularly in the case of the DPRK. Since the failure of the US-DPRK summit in Hanoi, the situation has once again begun to look as intractable as ever. One suggested solution would be forming a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) in Northeast Asia, relying on a multilateral treaty to enforce no-first-use commitments and negative security assurances-guarantees that they would not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against states without nuclear weapons. Non-nuclear-weapon states would commit to remaining nuclear-free, and in return, North Korea would commit to nuclear disarmament.
The session will examine the promise of, and the barriers to, an NWFZ in Northeast Asia and will address the following questions: How plausible is an NWFZ? What institutional and political barriers stand in the way, and how might they be addressed? How could multiple stakeholders be effectively mobilized towards this end? Would it be better to seek a North Korean nuclear deal first, that could serve as a launch pad into a broader NWFZ, or is an NWFZ itself the optimal solution to the North Korean problem?