The Options That Have Been Tried on North Korea So Far

News of North Korea’s test Sunday of a nuclear device drew angry reactions from its neighbors, allies, and the international community, as well as prescriptions of how to respond to the latest provocation, ranging from dialogue, to more sanctions, and “a massive military response.”

The two main proposals put forward so far are tougher international sanctions, an idea promoted by the U.S., and the so-called “freeze for freeze,” favored by China, in which the U.S. freezes military exercises with South Korea in exchange for the North freezing its missile and nuclear tests. Both those ideas have critics: Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country is under U.S. and EU sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea, dismissed sanctions. “They’d rather eat Tuesday. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, called the “freeze-for-freeze” idea “insulting.” Decision makers seem to have much clearer ideas about what won’t work than about what will—and that’s in part due to the history of failed efforts to rein in North Korea’s nuclear program.