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North Korea

The Strategic Failure on North Korea’s Nuclear Rise

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

The Strategic Failure on North Korea’s Nuclear Rise

EXPERT OPINION — South Korea’s Korea Institute for Defense Analysis recently publicly stated that we underestimated North Korea’s nuclear weapons [...] More

North KoreaAmbassador Joseph DeTraniAsia

The Latest

Ensuring Stability in the Indo-Pacific Region and Beyond

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Ensuring Stability in the Indo-Pacific Region and Beyond

OPINION — The recent summit of President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung further solidified a special relationship. It’s a [...] More

North KoreaChinaAmbassador Joseph DeTraniAsia

Allies in a Dangerous Neighborhood: Why the Trump-Lee Summit Matters

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Allies in a Dangerous Neighborhood: Why the Trump-Lee Summit Matters

OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE -- In December 1952, President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower visited South Korea for a first-time presidential summit as [...] More

North KoreaAmbassador Joseph DeTraniNuclearAsia

How U.S. Dialogue Can Break the North Korea-Russia Alliance

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

How U.S. Dialogue Can Break the North Korea-Russia Alliance

OPINION — It’s time to resume talks with North Korea. During the past five years, when we didn’t talk to North Korea, they built more nuclear weapons [...] More

North KoreaAmbassador Joseph DeTraniAsia
Welcome to the Gray Zone and the Future of Great Power Competition
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special series

Welcome to the Gray Zone and the Future of Great Power Competition

This is part one of a 3-part series by Cipher Brief Expert and former Assistant Director of CIA for South and Central Asia Dave Pitts, who also [...] More

ChinaRussiaNorth KoreaUkraineIntelligenceDave PittsDoDEuropeAsia

Memo to the 47th President: There’s a Way Forward on North Korea 

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Memo to the 47th President: There’s a Way Forward on North Korea 

MEMO TO THE PRESIDENT — To the President-elect: North Korea spent almost thirty years trying to normalize relations with the U.S., knowing it would [...] More

AsiaNorth KoreaAmbassador Joseph DeTrani

The Danger of War on the Korean Peninsula

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

The Danger of War on the Korean Peninsula

OPINION — North Korea’s enhanced allied relationship with Russia, and leader Kim Jong Un’s decision to send troops to aid Russia in its war of [...] More

AsiaNorth KoreaAmbassador Joseph DeTrani
North Korean Deployment Sparks Fears of Escalation – Even ‘World War’ – in Ukraine
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deep dive

North Korean Deployment Sparks Fears of Escalation – Even ‘World War’ – in Ukraine

DEEP DIVE — North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to Russia – presumably for use in the war against Ukraine – has stunned policymakers and [...] More

AsiaRussiaNorth KoreaEuropeReporting

The Threat from North Korea 

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

The Threat from North Korea 

OPINION — North Korea is now aligned unmistakably with a revanchist Russian Federation, providing artillery shells, ballistic missiles and now troops [...] More

AsiaNorth KoreaAmbassador Joseph DeTrani

U.S. Adversaries Create a Web of Threats

Beth Sanner

U.S. Adversaries Create a Web of Threats

EXPERT Q&A — Closer collaboration between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea - increasingly referred to as the ‘Axis of Authoritarians’ - requires [...] More

ChinaRussiaIranNorth KoreaBeth Sanner

Americans Need to Understand We're Living in a New Era of Global Threats

John McLaughlin

Americans Need to Understand We're Living in a New Era of Global Threats

EXPERT Q&A – Experts have been concerned in recent times, about national security threats emanating from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea but a [...] More

ChinaRussiaIranNorth KoreaUkraine
Dealing with 'Axis of Authoritarians' Requires Greater U.S. Policy Risk
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expert analysis

Dealing with 'Axis of Authoritarians' Requires Greater U.S. Policy Risk

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — Individually, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea consistently rank high on the U.S. list of global threats but national and [...] More

ChinaRussiaIranNorth KoreaMiddle EastEuropeAsiaReporting

Dear Presidential Candidates: North Korea is Part of Putin's Strategy

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Dear Presidential Candidates: North Korea is Part of Putin's Strategy

OPINION — The mutual defense pact that Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un signed on June 19, was a victory for [...] More

North KoreaRussiaAmbassador Joseph DeTrani