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  "authors": [
    "Douglas H. Paal"
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Source: Getty

In The Media
Carnegie China

U.S. Sending North Korea the “Right Message for the Moment”

It is necessary to be clear that the United States will retaliate if North Korea provokes an attack on the United States or its allies, but containment and deterrence remain preferable to an unacceptably costly military intervention.

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By Douglas H. Paal
Published on Sep 4, 2017
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Asia

The Asia Program in Washington studies disruptive security, governance, and technological risks that threaten peace, growth, and opportunity in the Asia-Pacific region, including a focus on China, Japan, and the Korean peninsula.

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Source: ABC Australia

Speaking on RN Breakfast, Carnegie’s Douglas Paal argued that warning North Korea about U.S. retaliation against any attack on the United States or its allies is “the right message for the moment.” However, Paal pointed out that military intervention will incur unacceptably high costs, as many senior people advising President Trump have recognized. Paal also acknowledged that while China has been less vocal against pressing North Korea through sanctions, it is unlikely that China would go so far that it risks regime collapse in North Korea.

Listen to the broadcast

This broadcast was originally published in ABC Australia.

About the Author

Douglas H. Paal

Distinguished Fellow, Asia Program

Paal previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    America’s Future in a Dynamic Asia

      Douglas H. Paal

  • Q&A
    U.S.-China Relations at the Forty-Year Mark
      • +1

      Douglas H. Paal, Tong Zhao, Chen Qi, …

Douglas H. Paal
Distinguished Fellow, Asia Program
Douglas H. Paal
SecurityMilitaryForeign PolicyNuclear PolicyArms ControlNorth AmericaUnited StatesEast AsiaNorth Korea

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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