Author Archive

Lumps of Coal: How China’s Demand for Russia’s Natural Resources Affects North Korea Sanctions Enforcement

By | August 13, 2017

Anthony Rinna investigates the Russian role in the DPRK sanctions system, focusing on the country’s potential to export high-quality coal to China as a replacement for the DPRK.

The Russian Sanctions Policy: Reflecting the Long View

By | July 10, 2017

It makes little sense for Russia to divest itself of economic ties to the northern half of Korea at the request of the United States. What Putin and his government fear is that new sanctions will cut Russia off from having a presence in a reunified Korea. Anthony Rinna looks at Russia’s long game.

Targeting North Korea, Scratching Russia: HR 1644

By | June 05, 2017

Russia’s economic interactions with North Korea are attracting the attention of the United States. In May, a bill emerged from the US House of Representatives that targets labor exports and the activities of North Korean vessels using third-country (including Russian) ports. Russia is not pleased. Anthony Rinna investigates.

THAAD and the Great Power Context III: The Quiet Exception in Russian Geopolitics

By | April 18, 2017

Continuing his analysis of Russia’s position on THAAD from a regional security perspective, Anthony Rinna seeks to extrapolate some of the economic and geopolitical issues lying behind the THAAD factor in Russia-South Korea bilateral relations.

THAAD and the Great Power Context II: Missile Defense and China-Russia Defense Cooperation

By | February 13, 2017

In the second part of his series on Great Power politics in Northeast Asia, Anthony Rinna looks at the question of whether successful China-Russia defense relations in the region are possible beyond mere rhetoric.