Scholars from around the world spoke at the University of Wisconsin Law School Friday about the past, present and future of international relations with North Korea.
The scholars met for the Nuclear Security in Northeast Asia Workshop, discussing the implications of the nuclear weapons test North Korea conducted earlier this month. The workshop was sponsored by The Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy.
The audience included students and professors, as well as interested Madison residents. UW junior Ethan Wagner said he attended the conference because of its relevance to current events.
"It's really timely with the nuclear testing going on; it's really pertinent," Wagner said. "The professors here are from all these different universities, and they're experts. It's nice to get a historical opinion as opposed to what you might hear from politicians."
The United Nations Security Council voted Saturday to impose sanctions on North Korea as a reaction to its nuclear test, but the U.N. has yet to set up ways of enforcing the sanctions.
There are also concerns among aid organizations that the sanctions will add to the hardship of a country that already struggles with poverty and starvation.
According to Trudy Fredericks of WAGE, the group organized the event because of its interest in interdisciplinary studies of cultural problems and social communications. Fredericks added that the conference served as a means of bringing students of all majors and interests together.
"We're dedicated to outreach, so we bring in people from all over the country and we come together and have one conversation," Fredericks said. "It brings a whole new element that's not happening when we stick to our pockets of campus."
Speakers addressed the charisma of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the possible rationale behind North Korea's constantly criticized foreign policy, and the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
Gregg Brazinsky, assistant professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University, offered an explanation for North Korea's actions.
"This is an action that North Korea can take and say to the rest of the world, 'Look, we're one of the few countries that has an atomic bomb now,'" Brazinsky said. "I think Kim Jong Il loves international attention; I think he basks in it."
But Jeremi Suri, associate professor of history at UW, said North Korea's recent decisions regarding nuclear weapons were not irrational, and the country was acting with internal logic. Suri questioned whether North Korea was creating too dangerous a dynamic in world affairs.
Suri acted as moderator for multiple parts of the day and helped to create the workshop event.
"I thought this was an important issue that wasn't being addressed sufficiently on campus and elsewhere," Suri said. "I thought it was a place where we could bring together a group of international scholars who would have serious contributions to make."
