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
- A New Age of Nuclear Policy: Perspectives from Gen ZCommentary
As the nuclear order rapidly evolves, what can Europeans and other key players do to strengthen deterrence and reduce risks?
Jamie Kwong, ed.
- Will a UN Treaty on Autonomous Weapons Arrive Too Late?Article
The final report by the Group of Governmental Experts is a key milestone toward a potential instrument regulating Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems and has garnered both accolades and criticism.
Charukeshi Bhatt
- What the New Democratic Congress Can (and Can’t) Do on Foreign PolicyCommentary
Democrats now have the gavel and the purse, but the executive branch still pulls the levers on the U.S. role in the world.
- +10
James M. Acton, Dan Baer, Mark Baldassare, …
- Nuclear Deterrence Needs to Account for Domestic PoliticsArticle
Individual leaders and public attitudes—especially in democracies—matter for credibility.
Lauren Sukin, Samuel Seitz
- Could Nuclear Warheads Really Be Deployed to the Baltic States?Commentary
Latvia and Lithuania have been considering whether they could temporarily host NATO nuclear weapons in the event of war or a similar crisis.
Sergejs Potapkins
