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
Category: Military & Defense
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
Arming Ukraine is a Sensible Option
By: Patrick Savage, Columnist Photo Credit: New York Times Following a visit to Ukraine by US Secretary of Defense James Mattis in August, the debate over whether the United States should provide defensive weapons to Ukraine’s military in the fight against Russian-backed insurgents has reignited.[i] Some suggest providing weapons to Ukraine is tantamount to kicking … Continue reading Arming Ukraine is a Sensible Option
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
It’s Not Me, It’s the System: The Inevitability of Failure in Russia-US Relations Under President Trump
By: Emily Kangas, Columnist Photo Credit: Politico The United States’ airstrike on a Syrian airfield marked the end of the honeymoon phase of Russia-US relations under the Donald Trump administration, despite vocal support for improvement by both states. On April 6, 2017, the United States fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at the airfield after the Syrian … Continue reading It’s Not Me, It’s the System: The Inevitability of Failure in Russia-US Relations Under President Trump
The Syrian Conflict: The Difference Between Peace and Justice
By: Lauren Prudente, Columnist Photo Credit: The Independent (via US Navy) The current United States strategy in Syria is to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but that cannot happen until the Syrian Civil War ends and the country is unified. The current US strategy is not equipped for ending the civil … Continue reading The Syrian Conflict: The Difference Between Peace and Justice
Seeing the World Through the Eyes of Another
By: Joseph Donato, Columnist Photo Credit: MyLibreto.com The great nineteenth century French novelist Gustave Flaubert once observed that, “there is no truth, only perception.”[i] While relevant in many fields of study, this observation rings particularly true in the abstract realm of international relations. Unlike the scientist, the statesman has no concrete proofs or formulas to … Continue reading Seeing the World Through the Eyes of Another
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
Venezuela’s Arsenal: A Ticking Time Bomb
By: Patrick Savage, Columnist Photo Credit: Juan Barreto, AFP (via CNN.com) As political and economic chaos continues to mount in Venezuela, worry has grown in the international community over the possibility of the total collapse of the country—a failed state scenario. If Venezuela were to enter a state of chaos similar to that of Somalia … Continue reading Venezuela’s Arsenal: A Ticking Time Bomb