Nuclear Issues

On Contradiction: The PRC Foreign Ministry and “China Responsibility Theory”

By | July 15, 2017

When a spokesman pushed back against the Trump administration assertions that China is in the driver’s seat with North Korea, Washington had no response. What was between the lines of this statement from Beijing?

THAAD and the Great Power Context: Russia’s Regional Interests in Korea

By | January 01, 2017

Taking his cue from Henry Kissinger, Anthony Rinna analyzes the THAAD question from the Russian perspective, viewing the Putin government’s opposition to THAAD deployment in the context of overlapping global and regional aspirations.

THAAD and the Politicization of Missile Defense in South Korea

By | July 29, 2016

THAAD is a hot issue in South Korea today. There is conflict over the safety of the system, as well as popular anger at the government’s failure to consult the public at either the local or national level prior to announcing THAAD deployment. This has reinvigorated concerns over the relationship between democracy and the core tenets of the US-ROK alliance. Darcie Draudt investigates.

Kim Jong-un, Jeremy Corbyn, and the Trident Debate

By | July 26, 2016

At a recent Parliamentary debate in London, North Korea was raised time and again as justification for the renewal of Britain’s submarine nuclear deterrent. Adam Cathcart parses what it means for the besieged opposition Labour Party, and peers into shadows of Korean War destruction for the Conservatives.

It’s Not About the Moon: The Military and Economic Logics to South Korean Space Exploration

By and | May 31, 2016

The University of Washington’s Clint Work and Kim Seon-hee pen a critical overview of recent developments in South Korea’s space program, highlighting the military and economic logics behind the country’s interest in tackling humanity’s last frontier.