Report
- +2
George Perkovich, Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Joseph Cirincione, …
{
"authors": [
"Jon Wolfsthal"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [
"Korean Peninsula"
],
"englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "NPP",
"programs": [
"Nuclear Policy"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"East Asia",
"North Korea"
],
"topics": [
"Nuclear Policy",
"Arms Control"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
Answering Your Questions On North Korea And Nuclear Weapons
Tensions continue to mount between the U.S. and North Korea, prompting questions on the deterrence relationship and the reliability of North Korea's nuclear capabilities.
Published on Aug 14, 2017
Source: The 1A, WAMU Radio
Carnegie NPP scholar Jon Wolfsthal answered listeners’ questions on North Korea and nuclear weapons capabilities. The nuclear program in North Korea, Wolfsthal explained, began in the 1950s, receiving significant assistance from the former Soviet Union. To date, North Korea has conducted, five nuclear weapons tests, a fact confirmed by the comprehensive test ban treaty organization, an international organization that monitors nuclear testing around the world. North Korea began testing short-range ballistic missiles several decades ago, but over the past three months the international community has witnessed North Korea’s program develop rapidly. The advancements include two weapons systems that could potentially deliver nuclear weapons to the continental United States. What we don’t know, Wolfsthal explains, is whether those systems are reliable, and if they work every time.
Wolfsthal further explained that the United States has engaged in a deterrant relationship with North Korea 50 years, while North Korea has deterred the United States from an attack for 50 years. This relationship can be messy and at times dangerous, but is sustainable if the United States continues to handle the relationship with care.
Though questions remain, there is no doubt that North Korea has crossed a number of thresholds, presenting a significant challenge for the United States and its allies.
About the Author
Jon Wolfsthal
Former Nonresident Scholar, Nuclear Policy Program
Jon Wolfsthal was a nonresident scholar with the Nuclear Policy Program.
- Universal Compliance: A Strategy for Nuclear Security<br>With 2007 Report Card on Progress
- 10 Plus 10 Doesn’t Add UpArticle
Jon Wolfsthal
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Corrupted by Absolute PowerCommentary
In an interview, Marc Lynch discusses his new book decrying the post-1990 U.S.-dominated order in the Middle East.
Michael Young
- Two Wars Later, Iran’s Nuclear Question Is Still on the TableCommentary
Tehran may conclude that its ability to disrupt the global economy via the Strait of Hormuz provides enough deterrence to begin quietly rebuilding its nuclear program.
Jane Darby Menton, Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar
- Could the Iran War Push Japan to Restore Russian Oil Imports?Commentary
Tokyo would have to surmount a lot of obstacles—not least Western sanctions—if it wanted to return Russian oil imports to even modest pre-2022 volumes.
Vladislav Pashchenko
- Chernobyl Is Still a Current Event, Forty Years LaterCommentary
The 1986 incident showed that a nuclear accident anytime is a nuclear accident for all time.
Corey Hinderstein
- From Labor Scarcity to AI Society: Governing Productivity in East AsiaArticle
The debate over AI and work too often centers on displacement. Facing aging populations and shrinking workforces, East Asian policymakers view AI not as a threat, but as a cross-sectoral workforce strategy.
Darcie Draudt-Véjares, Sophie Zhuang
