Chinese Approaches to Contingency Planning in a Collapsed North Korea

By: Annie Kowalewski Photo Credit: South China Morning Post Multilateral contingency planning regarding the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remains largely underdeveloped, but any effort to stabilize the region after a complete collapse of the DPRK will require cooperation between the United States, China, and the Republic of Korea (ROK). This article will consider … Continue reading Chinese Approaches to Contingency Planning in a Collapsed North Korea

Optimizing the ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign Against North Korea

By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo Credit: Scientific American As North Korea continues to defy the United Nations by developing a reckless and provocative nuclear weapons program, the Trump administration announced a “maximum pressure” strategy to try and change the isolated nation’s course.[i] To date, international approaches to curbing North Korea’s misbehavior have focused on economic … Continue reading Optimizing the ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign Against North Korea

Faculty Interview Series: An Interview with Dr. Matthew Kroenig, SFS Associate Professor

By: Stan Sundel, Reporter Photo Credit: Georgetown University In just the past few weeks, North Korea has undertaken a number of provocative military measures, including firing rockets over Japan and conducting additional nuclear tests. Can Pyongyang be brought back from the brink, and to the negotiating table? Or is a war on the Korean peninsula … Continue reading Faculty Interview Series: An Interview with Dr. Matthew Kroenig, SFS Associate Professor

Moon and Trump: Rocky Beginnings

By: Gabriel Gorre, Guest Contributor Photo Credit: Brookings Institution On May 9th, 2017, Moon Jae-in, leader of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, won South Korea’s presidential election with a plurality of the votes. Turnout in the election surpassed the highest total in two decades, as voters turned away from a conservative party tied to … Continue reading Moon and Trump: Rocky Beginnings

Experimenting with Democracy: Myanmar’s Persecution of Rohingya Muslims

By: Sara Sirota, Columnist Photo Credit: Radio Free Asia A violent crisis is terrorizing the Muslim population of a Southeast Asian country and not many people are talking about it.[i] Security forces there have been accused of “killing men, shooting them, slaughtering children, raping women, burning and looting houses.”[ii] The image comes straight out of … Continue reading Experimenting with Democracy: Myanmar’s Persecution of Rohingya Muslims

The Missing Armada and the Fate of US-ROK Relations

By: Trisha Ray, Columnist Photo Credit: MintPress News On April 11, President Trump, in response to North Korean announcements of an impending nuclear test, announced that he was sending an ‘armada’ to Korean shores. By April 19, the armada had yet to arrive, triggering criticism in South Korea of Trump’s empty statements. The Trump administration’s diplomatic … Continue reading The Missing Armada and the Fate of US-ROK Relations

Pakistan’s Militancy Conundrum

By: Nicole Magney, Columnist Photo Credit: Dawn News The Pakistani state’s relationship with terrorism is convoluted and, ultimately, self-defeating. Militant groups that are viewed by elements of the Pakistani government as aligning with state interests, like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Haqqani Network, are offered complicity or support, while other groups are condemned and targeted, like … Continue reading Pakistan’s Militancy Conundrum

THAAD Will Lead to Increased Chinese Nuclear Development

By: Gabriel Gorre, Guest Contributor Photo Credit: US Pacific Command (PACOM) On March 7th, the United States began its deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in South Korea.[i] The deployment of the THAAD system aims to minimize the damage from North Korean short and medium range missiles, a danger … Continue reading THAAD Will Lead to Increased Chinese Nuclear Development

Damming the Mekong: Environmental Degradation and the “Build First, Talk Later” Approach

By: Trisha Ray, Columnist Photo Credit: Mongabay The Mekong River, in particular the proliferation of Chinese dams along it, has become a source of conflict between the upstream countries of China and Laos and downstream countries of Cambodia and Vietnam. The basis of this conflict is the environmental impact of hydropower projects on the river’s … Continue reading Damming the Mekong: Environmental Degradation and the “Build First, Talk Later” Approach

Unconventional Assassinations: Why the Assassination of Kim Jong-nam Has Greater Implications

By: Farnaz Alimehri, Columnist Photo Credit: New Straits Times On February 13, 2017, Kim Jong-nam, the older half brother of the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, was assassinated in a Malaysian airport in Kuala Lumpur.[i] He was attacked by two women, Doan Thi Huoung and Siti Aisyah, who were said to have doused their hands … Continue reading Unconventional Assassinations: Why the Assassination of Kim Jong-nam Has Greater Implications