Other
- +18
James M. Acton, Saskia Brechenmacher, Cecily Brewer, …
{
"authors": [
"James M. Acton"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [
"U.S. Nuclear Policy",
"Korean Peninsula"
],
"englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "NPP",
"programs": [
"Nuclear Policy"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"North America",
"United States",
"East Asia",
"South Korea",
"North Korea"
],
"topics": [
"Security",
"Nuclear Policy"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
North Korea Tensions
Tensions with North Korea are rising as the United States strengthens its missile defense in response to threats.
Published on Apr 4, 2013
Source: CTV News
Tensions with North Korea are rising as the United States strengthens its missile defense in response to threats. Carnegie's James Acton talked to CTV News about the situation. He explained that what worries him is not that North Korea will launch a nuclear attack on the United States, but that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, is going to do what his father, Kim Jong-il, did in 2010, which was to commit a provocation against South Korea when he ordered the sinking of a South Korean warship.
Acton pointed out that South Korea has said that if North Korea does something similar again it will retaliate, at which point North Korea is likely to strike back, and the United States will become involved because it has made defense commitments to South Korea. "The result of all of that could a dangerous, escalating conflict on the Korean Peninsula," said Acton, "and the use of nuclear weapons cannot be excluded."
"We don't know for certain whether North Korea has the capability to put warheads onto missiles. North Korea has certainly been claiming that it has, and it is plausible that it has, but we do not actually know," added Acton. " I wish that cooler heads will prevail over the next couple of weeks," Acton concluded, "but there's a possibility that we will be in for a very rough April."
About the Author
James M. Acton
Jessica T. Mathews Chair, Co-director, Nuclear Policy Program
Acton holds the Jessica T. Mathews Chair and is co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- Unpacking Trump’s National Security Strategy
- Trump Has an Out on Nuclear Testing. He Should Take It.Commentary
James M. Acton
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
- At Stake in Armenia’s Election: Peace and Russian InfluenceCommentary
Regardless of the outcome, there’s another path to ensuring that progress doesn’t stall.
Zaur Shiriyev
- Trump and Xi Are Angling for Three Years of StabilityCommentary
But their "principal to principal" model will only be as effective as the political strength of each leader back home.
Damien Ma
- China’s Police and Security Cooperation AgreementsPaper
China’s Ministry of Public Security is often portrayed as a domestic law enforcement agency, but it is also a global security actor. This paper explores how MPS has used international law enforcement and security cooperation agreements—over 200 since 2006—to advance China’s vision of security in a changing global environment.
Sophie Zhuang, Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Cameron Waltz
- Europe Should Not Let Nuclear Nonproliferation DieCommentary
Amid uncertainty caused by the Iran war, the global drive for nonproliferation has stalled. With Europe diplomatically marginalized and countries reassessing their nuclear options, efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons risk becoming irrelevant.
Jane Darby Menton
- Post U.S.-China Summit: Managed InstabilityCommentary
The U.S.-China Summit produced a welcome commitment to build a constructive, strategically stable relationship. However, the United States has a full agenda, including the USMCA review beginning this week, that will likely target Chinese practices of concern. If China views these efforts as inconsistent with the agreements reached in Beijing, it may slow or halt progress in response.
Barbara Weisel
