Imagine two countries — with nuclear capabilities — telling each other to make the first move. “You go first.” “No, you go first.” “No, you … “

This is what’s going on between the United States and North Korea. Each is telling the other that it must make the first move.

The United States refuses to negotiate with North Korea, which admitted in October that it had revived its nuclear weapons program and later ousted U.N. inspectors from the country. Since then, the United States has ceased humanitarian aid to the country.

Despite the back-and-forth comments, President Bush, according to The New York Times, says he remains optimistic about North Korea. “I want to remind the American people that prior to North Korea making the decision it made, I had instructed our secretary of state to approach North Korea about a bold initiative, an initiative which would talk about energy and food, because we care deeply about the suffering of the North Korean people.”

On Wednesday, North Korean officials rejected the United States’ offer, according to the British Broadcasting Corp., calling the plan a “deceptive drama” and said the situation would only end after the United States signed a nonaggression pact.

In light of the rejection, the United States should take a proactive stance to alleviating the situation. If pushed further, CNN reports North Korean officials have warned that “a new Korean War will finally lead to a Third World War.”

Although the United States has said that they will not negotiate with any country, including North Korea, Bush should send U.S. envoys to find a way to end the tension on the Korean peninsula. Chinese officials have already offered to host peace agreements between the two countries.

Because of the United States’ reluctance to negotiate, people from all over the world see our country as a bully and are taking notice of Bush’s differing foreign policy efforts in North Korea and Iraq. Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, said on Tuesday that Bush views Iraq as a greater threat than North Korea.

On a BBC message board about the U.S.-North Korean conflict, one person from India said they believed the only reason that the United States is more aggressive toward Iraq than North Korea is because Iraq has oil. A South Korean said they did not want the United States to interfere with Korea and hoped that the north and south would one day be one country again.

The United States needs to suck it up and make the first move to alleviate the situation. In the end, thousands of North Koreans could benefit from the talks and maybe our country will win a few public relations points among those who view the United States as an aggressor, instead of an aid provider.

Editorial Board: Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver