Negotiating with North Korea
Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Joseph DeTrani offers his seasoned perspective on negotiating with North Korea. This piece was first published by our friends at 38 […] More
North Korea
A Fading Chance for Improvement with North Korea
During 2018 and part of 2019, the DPRK’s Chairman Kim Jong-un, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, and U.S. President Donald Trump collectively made diplomatic history […] More
Kim Jung Un’s Hubris
North Korean leader Kim Jung Un’s recent actions were disturbing – and potentially dangerous. After two summits with President Donald Trump and an historic June […] More
Reading the Clues on North Korea
Tim Willasey-Wilsey is a former senior member of the British Foreign Office and a Cipher Brief expert. He is currently a Senior Visiting Research Fellow […] More
North Korea and Nobel Prizes
OPINION — While two former U.S. Presidents – Jimmy Carter in 1994 and Bill Clinton in 2009 – had made historic visits to Pyongyang, meeting […] More
Twitter Diplomacy and North Korea
The significant weekend visit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un started with a Tweet last Thursday as President Trump […] More
Testing Trump’s Nuclear Fuse, North Korea Launches More Missile Tests
South Korea says that North Korea launched what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Thursday, which would constitute the second round of missile tests […] More
What Could a Russia-North Korea Summit Mean?
Thursday’s expected summit between DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia follows on the heels of President Donald Trump’s […] More
What to Make of North Korea’s Recent Weapons Test
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the testing of as a new ‘tactical guided weapon’ on Wednesday in the country’s first weapons test since […] More
The Nuclear Weapons Club Could Get Bigger
OPINION — One result from the Hanoi Summit: North Korea continues to be a member of the elite nuclear weapons club, and probably will remain […] More
Dispatches from Hanoi
After much anticipation of a signing ceremony between the U.S. and North Korea, President Donald Trump and North Leader Kim Jong-un left Hanoi with no […] More
In Hanoi, the Devil is in the Details
OPINION — What are the “corresponding measures” President Trump is prepared to take in return for a promise from Chairman Kim Jong-un to dismantle his […] More
The Definition of Success in Hanoi
Expectations are high for the second summit of President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jung-Un. Most people assume that there wouldn’t be a second summit […] More
Hanoi Summit Success Likely to Come at a Cost
The world is watching Hanoi this week as President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold their second summit meeting in less than […] More
The Serious Trust Deficit Between Washington and Pyongyang
OPINION — Two senior U.S. military commanders in the Indo-Pacific area this week questioned whether North Korea would ever denuclearize, just 12 days before the next […] More
Trump-Kim Nuclear Diplomacy: Round Two in Vietnam
Bottom Line Up Front At the end of February, U.S. President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un will meet in Vietnam following […] More
The Trust But Verify Strategy with North Korea
OPINION — The “tremendous progress” with North Korea that President Trump has repeatedly claimed does not approach the success that Kim Jong Un has achieved, […] More
Chairman Kim Jong-un Rides the Peace Train
Chairman Kim Jong-un started off 2019 with a well-rehearsed New Year’s address, in which he utilized a less-formal and relaxed atmosphere – akin to FDR’s […] More