“Living with a nuclear North Korea could give its leaders the confidence to act more aggressively versus South Korea. It could also, over time, drive both South Korea and Japan, as well as countries farther afield such as Vietnam, to reconsider their non-nuclear postures. The stability of a critical region of the world would suddenly be in doubt.”

American diplomat and foreign policy analyst

Richard N. Haass is an American diplomat and foreign policy analyst. He was president of the Council on Foreign Relations from 2003 to 2023, and before that served as director of policy planning at the U.S. Department of State. He was also a close adviser to Secretary of State Colin Powell in the George W. Bush administration. Haass has been known for his work on U.S. foreign policy and international affairs, especially in senior advisory and institutional leadership roles.