Could North Korea Use Nuclear Weapons as a Shield for Aggression?
North Korea’s strategy is likely to exploit nuclear weapons as a deterrence against American and South Korean retaliation to its own aggressions.
North Korea’s strategy is likely to exploit nuclear weapons as a deterrence against American and South Korean retaliation to its own aggressions.
Ahead of negotiations, the North Korean government can boost their credibility by proactively addressing nuclear safety and security.
If the current break continues past the proposed Trump-Kim summit in May, it could potentially be the fourth longest gap in missile testing.
It may have just be bravado, but President Trump’s suggestion that the withdrawal of U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula may be on the table is problematic.
On March 6, North Korea said it is prepared to enter into talks, to freeze its nuclear and missile testing, and is willing to abandon its nuclear weapons.
Similar to the U.S. “Worldwide Threat Assessment,” the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service has published its report, “International Security and Estonia.”
Even in the best-case scenario, a “bloody nose” attack on North Korea would likely undermine “maximum pressure” for economic reasons.
As we look ahead to what might occur in 2018 we should also consider how key events from 2017 will continue to shape the year ahead.
In 2017, attention turned to the Korean Peninsula as South Korea removed Park Geun-hye from office and North Korea advanced its weapons programs.
The Hwasong-15 test demonstrates the continuing trend of North Korea’s rapidly advancing, and deeply troubling, missile technology.