WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- North Korea's nuclear test challenges U.S. President Obama's policy of engagement over enmity and how the United States fashions a response, observers said.
Among the alternatives presented Obama are the United States increasing the pressure on North Korea, standing pat or redoubling diplomatic efforts, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Assessing North Korea's motive for staging Monday's nuclear test is key, analysts told the Post. Is it, as some observers say, an effort to win concessions from the United States and nations in the region or is Pyongyang seeking to become a full-fledged nuclear power at all diplomatic costs?
The administration response to North Korea's provocative actions has been inconsistent, analysts told the Post.
Whatever happened before, David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, said the administration's response should be more intense diplomacy, not more sanctions. He said he found the administration's response to North Korea's provocations over the past few months "very frustrating."
"This has required a high-level effort rather than just management of a problem," Albright said, calling the renegotiation of a treaty with Russia taking precedence over North Korea "a big mistake."
