A New Risk Calculus for the Korean Peninsula
State-sanctioned violence and militarism form the foundation of the rejuvenated North Korea-Russia partnership, and that should shape how U.S. and South Korean alliance planners read…
Iran’s Bargaining Card That North Korea Never Had
Last week, the United States and Iran concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU), ending nearly four months of conflict and bringing the two countries back to the…
How Trump’s Approach to Dealmaking Could Shape North Korea Talks
Ever since U.S. President Donald Trump won his first term as president, some observers have hoped that his unconventional approach could lead to a breakthrough…
China Courts a More Confident North Korea
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited North Korea this month to try to pull the Kim Jong Un regime back toward Beijing at a moment when…
Xi’s North Korea Visit Puts a Trump-Kim Summit Back in Play
Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a rare visit to North Korea on June 8—his first international trip this year—weeks after hosting U.S. President Donald…
Why the Prospect of a U.S.-North Korea Summit in November Is Uncertain
The White House recently announced that during the U.S.-China summit, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping confirmed their shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea….
North Korea’s New Constitution Buries the Reunification Project
North Korea has amended its constitution to remove references to reunification with South Korea. The Supreme People’s Assembly apparently made the change in March, but it was not publicly known…
Tactical and Operational Lessons North Korea Is Learning From the Iran War
The Iran war may push North Korea to lower its nuclear threshold rather than raise it, and that is the lesson U.S. and South Korean…
North Korea’s Human Rights Record Worsens as UN Pushes for Concrete Benchmarks
Iran’s failure to achieve nuclear latency has significant implications for South Korea and Japan’s thinking on their own nuclear strategy.
Iran Conflict Hardens North Korea’s Nuclear Posture
The ongoing conflict in Iran will harden, not moderate, North Korea’s nuclear resolve, with implications for U.S.-South Korea security planning.