Obama's soft power failure with North Korea

Washington Times:

North Korea's launch Sunday of a long-range missile is a direct challenge to President Obama and his "soft power" foreign policy. While the president was on his humility tour of Europe, Pyongyang demonstrated its willingness to defy the international community and dared the United Nations to respond, stating it would consider any "presidential statement or statement to the press" on the launch a "violent, hostile act."

Soft power - the emphasis on nonmilitary elements of national power in the conduct of foreign policy - is much beloved by the Obama administration. But North Korea has been perfumed with soft power for years to no effect. Under the 1994 Agreed Framework, which was the product of talks between Kim Jong-il and Jimmy Carter, North Korea promised to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for economic and other assistance. This broke down by 2002, when it was clear the North was not keeping its part of the bargain. The Six Party Talks that began in 2003 have produced nice-sounding words and joint statements, but during that time, North Korea successfully tested nuclear weapons and pushed ahead on missile development. Meanwhile, its people continue to suffer under one of the most oppressive and bizarre regimes in history.

The prevailing U.S. approach seems to be to ignore Pyongyang's provocations. Many reason that because North Korea is "contained," there is no reason to respond vigorously to bluff and bluster - or weapons tests. But North Korea is not contained. Pyongyang has been working with Iran and Syria on nuclear and missile technology....

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The administration is exposed by its soft power. It humiliated itself by calling for a UN meeting on the Nork missile test and got rebuffed by both China and Russia, a double veto. It had time before the shot to line them up and was not able to do it even while glad handing with them in London. What the world has learned is that the most you can expect from Obama is a stern lecture when you cross his red lines.

Update: Between the use of force and "soft" power is the credible threat of the use of force. That is what Obama has taken off the table and that is why his soft power is not working in North Korea or Iran. Also needed for the success of "soft" power is the cooperation of china and Russia. That is something that Obama has also failed to deliver on.