Editorial: Options are limited

Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2006 | 7:23 a.m.

After the United Nations Security Council on Monday condemned North Korea for detonating a nuclear device, the Bush administration proposed an arms embargo and international trade sanctions that are designed to hinder North Korea's efforts to import or export its nuclear technology.

According to a story in The Washington Post, other members of the 15-nation Security Council stopped short of endorsing the U.S. plan that calls for international inspections of all North Korean imports and exports. The plan also proposes banning all imports of luxury goods and demands that the secretive communist nation cease all nuclear activities and participate in talks to resolve the crisis. It is unclear when the Security Council will vote on the proposal.

It is apparent, however, that the United States and other nations have few options when it comes to forcing North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. President Bush has asked the leaders of South Korea, Japan and China to join him in talks with North Korean leaders. But North Korea wants to talk only with the United States.

Of those nations, China would seem to have the most influence with North Korean officials. And that shows just how unstable this situation has become. The United States' best hope for reining in a hostile communist nation is through diplomacy by another communist regime.

When the Cold War ended, the question of how to prevent such nations as North Korea from acquiring - and using - nuclear weapons remained unanswered. Now we are faced with a nation that not only has the ability to possess such weapons but also to sell them to enemies of the United States.

The Bush administration is quick to blame this situation on the Clinton administration's failure to reach a resolution. But Bush has been in office six years without arriving at a diplomatic solution. The United States' embargo, sanctions and tough words Monday are a reactive response to a situation that has long needed a proactive approach.