Clemens Jr., Walter C

Abstract
Negotiations to control and perhaps eliminate North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have foundered on many shoals. To what extent do cultural differences and negotiating styles obstruct mutual understanding and accord? One school of thought holds that professional diplomats transcend their parochial upbringing and communicate their thoughts quite well, even if they must use interpreters. The opposing school holds that culture matters: American diplomats favor a “low context,” get-to-the-bottom line approach, while most Asians prefer a “high context” ambience in which “face” and personal relationships are important. This essay evaluates the evidence — much of it contradictory — about the weight of cultural factors in negotiations over North Korea and the bomb. It concludes that such factors have not been central but have often added to the force of other impediments to agreement. Given the current impasse in the negotiations, this essay asks whether both sides should not turn to a professional mediator to overcome the burden of distrust and hurt feelings, so that the objective interests of the parties could be reconciled and enhanced by a far-reaching accommodation. As former ROK prime minister Goh Kun has put it, Americans should remember that “you need empathy to resolve a dispute,” while North Koreans should not “fear to negotiate.”
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