[imText1]Upcoming elections in both South Korea and the United States next year are likely to have noticeable effects on policy toward the North, especially if they result in Seoul moving left while Washington moves right.<\/p>\n
Doug Bandow, a senior fellow from the Cato Institute, spoke about the possible impact of next year\u2019s political changes during a conference held today in Seoul. Entitled \u201c2012 Major Countries\u2019 Leadership Changes in Northeast Asia and North Korean Nuclear Weapons\u201d, Bandow used his lecture to analyze possible Republican policies toward North Korea should America select a conservative candidate and cast aside President Barack Obama.<\/p>\n
Putting forward Mitt Romney as the obvious front-runner in the race for the Republican Party nomination, Bandow predicted, \u201cA Romney administration would likely be more inclined to confront and less inclined to talk to the North.\u201d He also pointed out that other influential figures within the Republican Party could also press whoever became president in a more radical direction. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor instance, John McCain, who would become chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee if the Republicans take control of the Senate, has introduced the \u2018Iran, North Korea, and Syria Sanctions Consolidation Act\u2019, which would penalize states aiding Iranian nuclear weapon development,\u201d he noted, adding that McCain has also called for \u201cregime change\u201d in the North..<\/p>\n
According to Bandow, should a Republican president be elected next year he or she would be likely to start out with a relatively hardline position. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo step back from a confrontational policy would be seen as weak, and Republican candidates would be unlikely to make that concession,\u201d he explained, while noting at the same time that it seems that any new South Korean government would end up taking a more aggressive stance than the current administration. As evidenced by South Korea\u2019s recent resumption of aid to North Korea via international organizations and the pursuance of talks with the Kim regime, Bandow pointed out that even President Lee appears to have moderated his previous stance.<\/p>\n
He concluded, therefore, that the current U.S.-South Korea relationship could grow more difficult if the respective national elections result in divergent voices. \u201cThe Obama and Lee governments have worked together particularly well because they agreed on policy,\u201d he said, but adding that, \u201cIf Washington ends up determined on confrontation while Seoul moves toward expanded engagement, the relationship could become rocky and policy toward North Korea could deteriorate.\u201d <\/p>\n
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[imText1]Upcoming elections in both South Korea and the United States next year are likely to have noticeable effects on policy toward the North, especially if they result in Seoul moving left while Washington moves right. Doug Bandow, a senior fellow from the Cato Institute, spoke about the possible impact of next year\u2019s political changes during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138,"featured_media":17386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n