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 Russia Eurasia Center
- For Putin, Increasing Russia’s Nuclear Threat Matters More Than the Triad’s ModernizationCommentary
For Putin, upgrading Russia’s nuclear forces was a secondary goal. The main aim was to gain an advantage over the West, including by strengthening the nuclear threat on all fronts. That made growth in missile arsenals and a new arms race inevitable.
Maxim Starchak
- Russia’s Latest Weapons Have Left Strategic Stability on the Brink of CollapseCommentary
The Kremlin will only be prepared to negotiate strategic arms limitations if it is confident it can secure significant concessions from the United States. Otherwise, meaningful dialogue is unlikely, and the international system of strategic stability will continue to teeter on the brink of total collapse.
Maxim Starchak
- Iran’s Twelve-Day War Has Only Boosted Its Cooperation With RussiaCommentary
Tehran’s most urgent task is to reduce the risk of further Israeli and U.S. airstrikes. Russia’s role as a deterrent in this respect is more multifaceted than simply supplying weapons, whose real impact will only become apparent many years from now.
Nikita Smagin
- How the Kremlin Lost TrumpCommentary
The collapse of the Budapest summit is an inevitable result of the Russian system of artificially creating foreign policy crises in order to achieve a desired outcome.
Alexander Baunov
- Could Russia Use the Israel-Iran Conflict to Its Advantage?Commentary
The conflict between Israel and Iran will likely help Russia to balance this year’s budget without a major deficit, thanks to soaring oil prices. However, that does not change the fact that another of Moscow’s close allies in the region appears to be collapsing.
Nikita Smagin
