Clearly, cooperation and conciliation will not always solve international problems. However, they can often work and are, in general, cheap. Reliance on cooperative policies to resolve international disputes is particularly important in cases of strong countries dealing with weak countries and with issues of non-proliferation. With regard to non-proliferation, US policy has focused on the supply side. While supply restrictions can buy time and provide early warning, they will invariably fail in the end.
Nations decide to pursue nuclear weapons out of profound insecurity.
Instead, the US needs to focus on demand management, reducing the attractiveness of nuclear weapons. The diplomacy surrounding the potential North Korean proliferation problem that peaked in 1994 provides an excellent example of this point. All of this was contrary to the worst fears of many in the foreign policy establishment who had expected much more concerted efforts by the North Koreans to pursue their nuclear weapons program. Yet, the United States ignored these relatively benign signs and ratcheted up pressure. By the summer of that year, this situation had deteriorated to the point where the two sides were only a few steps away from going to war.