DPRK Foreign Relations
Russia and Korean Security: The Views from Seoul and Tokyo
Anthony Rinna looks at how Seoul and Tokyo have been dealing with Russia in a world of neo-Cold War tensions between Moscow and Washington.
North Korea’s Nuclear State Status: Seeking Legitimacy in the International Community
Leeds University PhD student Yujin Lim, previously of the Brussels-based European Institute for Asian Studies, describes some of the deterrence theory and IR apparatus around North Korea’s quest for nuclear legitimacy.
By whose example? Analyzing Sino-DPRK Media Portrayals of Relations in 2018
Oxford University’s Tom Fowdy sums up the year of Chinese-North Korean diplomacy, finding self-interest galore amid the statements of eternal brotherhood.
The Korean Peninsula and Great Power Geopolitics: Then and Now
Anthony Rinna returns with a look at how the history of international relations in late 19th and early 20th Northeast Asia can help inform us of the possible future trajectory of Beijing-Moscow ties.
China and Russia on a Nuclear North Korea: Policy Alignment, Divergent Relationships
What is the state of Sino-DPRK and Russia-DPRK relations? A quick glance might led one to think there is total Chinese and Russian policy convergence vis-a-vis Korea, but the evidence indicates significant differences in how Moscow and Beijing see the DPRK. Anthony Rinna explains.
Dual Perspective: Reading Thae Yong-ho
Thae Yong-ho’s memoir marks a bold attempt to push back the tide of South Korean public ambivalence toward North Korea, a sprawling 500-page narrative of his experiences in the DPRK diplomatic corps over twenty years and ending with his 2016 defection. Robert Lauler takes a look at this essential, if flawed, text.
Responsibility Theory: Russian and US Policy Analysis of China’s Role in the Korea Crisis
Anthony Rinna considers how the Kremlin and Washington differ in their views on China’s role in the Korea crisis by looking at Russian and American think tank research.
From New York to Dandong: Maximum Pressure
Digging into sources outside the Anglosphere, Adam Cathcart finds that developments along the border and further into the interior of both China and North Korea indicate any American desire to maintain economic pressure on the DPRK will be difficult, if not impossible.
