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NKIDP Senior Adviser Mitchell Lerner Publishes on Sino-North Korean Relations in The Diplomat

NKIDP Senior Adviser Mitchell Lerner writes in The Diplomat that policymakers need to "recognize that China’s influence on Pyongyang is much more limited than conventional wisdom holds."

NKIDP Senior Adviser Mitchell Lerner has published an article in The Diplomat entitled "Why China Is Not the Solution to the Korean Crisis."

In the article, Lerner, associate professor of history and director of the Institute for Korean Studies at The Ohio State University, suggests that current U.S. policy toward resolving the North Korean nuclear issue rests on a  "fundamentally flawed understanding of the true nature of the Sino-North Korean relationship." Citing materials from the Wilson Center's Digital Archive, Lerner documents a number of cases of mistrust and conflict between North Korea and China.

Through this review of the history of the relationship, Lerner concludes that, though China is an important player and stakeholder on the Korean Peninsula, "it is vital that policymakers in the U.S. and beyond recognize that China’s influence on Pyongyang is much more limited than conventional wisdom holds."

To read Lerner's article, please click here to be redirected to The Diplomat.

 

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