Former Defense Sec. Ash Carter urges "coercive diplomacy" with North Korea
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says he would advise a strategy of "coercive diplomacy" with the North Koreans, one that combines military action and diplomatic means, as the regime appears to be accelerating its nuclear program with its sixth and largest nuclear test last weekend.
"In general what you need is a mix in which you require North Korea to take steps progressively to reduce the threat, or you take steps progressively to military action and economic sanctions, to apply pressure to them," Carter said on "CBS This Morning" Wednesday.
He added, "If down the road they continue to make the wrong choices and it leads to military conflict, we have had the time, first of all, to better prepare our forces."
Carter, who served in the Obama administration, said leadership in the 1990s had "limited success" using such a strategy of step-by-step progressive pressure, but noted the threat posed by North Korea "goes back multiple administrations of both parties, and it's been getting worse."
Carter called the present nuclear provocations "disconcerting." He said North Korea needs to first halt its testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and in response the U.S. should be prepared to "relax pressure or increase pressure" on the regime as needed.
On the question of whether that could include possible military action, he pointed to Defense Secretary James Mattis' comments over the weekend that suggested the United States' readiness for using military force.
Mattis re-emphasized the U.S. military posture in a phone call Wednesday morning with his South Korean counterpart, saying "any threat to the United States, its territories, or its allies will be met with a massive, effective, and overwhelming military response."
As for the role of other nations, Carter suggested that it would be in China's best interest to "strangle North Korea" through cutting off oil and energy supplies "to get them to stop doing something which could lead to a war on China's border."
He noted, however, that it's "hard to be optimistic because China has consistently disappointed" in regards to applying pressure on Kim Jong Un's regime, adding, "If the Chinese sideline themselves, then that's unfortunate for them and us. But we will be prepared to protect our people and allies."