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The North Korean nuclear crisis is far from over, and foreclosing escalation pathways is in the best interests of the United States, its allies, and Pyongyang.
Will Japan finally move toward acquiring offensive strike capabilities for the first time since World War II?
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.
Denuclearization of the North will not be possible to achieve, if it is possible to achieve at all, unless there is a transformational change in North Korea’s relationships with the United States and South Korea.
As North Korea makes steady progress in its nuclear program, the United States must continue to strive for stability in the Korean peninsula.
North Korea has the offensive capabilities to threaten both its neighbors and the United States. The United States needs to implement an effective response that will level the playing field and reassure its allies in the region.
Increased tensions between the United States and Iran over the last couple days, along with U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls to end the Iran Nuclear Deal, could put Iran on the same path as North Korea as an imminent threat potentially needing military consideration.
If the United States thrusts aside the nuclear deal with Iran—and uses contrived evidence to do so—the message to North Korea and others will be that America’s word is disposable and Washington cannot be trusted to honor its commitments.
While much of the discussion of a North Korean regime collapse focuses on its potential to unleash thousands of refugees and on the economic costs of Korean reunification, the geopolitical and security dangers would be far more consequential for the future stability of Northeast Asia.
Previous debates focusing on freezing North Korea's nuclear program are played out. Today, the main challenge is preventing North Korea from hurting the United States and its allies now that the Kim regime has long-range nuclear missiles.
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