February 13,2018 National Commentaries

A Chinese Perspective

Trick or Treat: Will the Inter-Korean Rapprochement Last? The Korean Peninsula never lacks for drama. While many people were wondering if a war would break out on the peninsula not many weeks ago, North and South Korea, the perennial competitors, have shaken hands and embraced a détente.North Korea Makes a U-TurnThe year 2018 started with some good news. Kim Jong-un, the leader of the Democ..

Cheng Xiaohe*
Kim Yo-jong , Moonlight policy , Pyeongchang Olympics , sports diplomacy
February 13,2018 National Commentaries

A Russian Perspective

Russia’s Gambit in the Korean Nuclear Crisis Since the late 19th century Russia has been a major stakeholder in Korean affairs, at times capable of exercising critical influence on them. The current crisis over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs may once again be raising Russia’s profile on the Korean Peninsula, ending a period when, only a few years ago, Moscow was l..

Artyom Lukin
double freeze , parallel advancement , Pyeongchang Olympics , roadmap , Six-Party Talks
February 13,2018 National Commentaries

A South Korean Perspective

On November 29, 2017, after conducting its longest-range missile test yet, North Korea declared itself a globe-spanning nuclear-weapons power and insisted that the United States acknowledge it as such. A government statement quoted its leader Kim Jong-un, who announced that his nation had “finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force.” The timing..

Oh Joon*
Kim Jong-un , maximum pressure , New Year’s Day Address , Pyeongchang Olympics , Six-Party Talks , strategic patience
February 02,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (January 2018)

From November 2017 to January 2018, South Korean news editorials discussed North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, Hwaseong-15, and covered bilateral dynamics: South Korea-China relations following the Moon-Xi summit; US-North Korea relations following Tillerson’s proposal for unconditional talks; US-South Korea relations following the release of Trump&rsquo..

Eun A Jo
comfort women , freeze-for-freeze , Hwaseong 15 , Moon-Xi summit , Pyeongchang Olympics , THAAD
December 23,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: China (December 2017)

In late 2017, Chinese analysts explored Japan’s response to the North Korean nuclear crisis, its warmer relations with Russia, and conciliatory economic cooperation with the United States. They also analyzed South Korea’s foreign policy strategies, the implications of the Malabar exercises for Chinese interests in the Indo–Pacific, and the prospects for repairing Sino–Indian r..

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
America First , Donglang dispute , Malabar exercises , middle power , THAAD , US-Japan alliance
December 08,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (November 2017)

Russian publications through the first half of the fall of 2017 were largely optimistic, assuming the decline of the United States, the reliability of China as a partner, and a considerable Russian leverage in East Asia, including in North Korea. Yet, they recognized that the Eastern Economic Forum failed to attract Asian investors, the Greater Eurasian Partnership lacked much substance with..

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
APEC , BRI , Eastern Economic Forum , Great Eurasian Partnership , SCO , turn to the East
December 08,2017 Open Forum

Russia’s North Korea Policy: The Logic and Dilemma of Assisting North Korea

In seeking bilateral negotiations with North Korea, Japan focused on the abduction issue. It tried to steer the Six-Party Talks toward a comprehensive solution to this problem, as well as to the missile and nuclear threats from North Korea. And it has stuck close to the United States as it ramped up pressure on the North. Meanwhile, by striking a deal on the “comfort women” issue ..

Yoko Hirose
Hwasong-15 , Moonshine Policy , Otto Warmbier , Six-Party Talks , state sponsor of terrorism
December 05,2017 Open Forum

Sanctions and Nuclear Weapons are Changing North Korea

Sanctions are changing North Korea but not in ways expected by the world community imposing them, or by the Kim regime that is fighting them. Clearly, they have not yet succeeded in stopping North Korea’s nuclear program and, arguably, not even slowed it. But equally clear is North Korea’s increasing isolation from the global economy and, more importantly, loss of aid receipts tha..

William B. Brown
Byongjin , Economic sanctions , Juche , secondary sanctions , UN Security Council Resolution 2375
November 04,2017 Special Forum

The Trajectory of Chinese Foreign Policy: From Reactive Assertiveness to Opportunistic Activism

In recent years, particularly since Xi Jinping’s ascension to power, it has become commonplace for journalists and experts in the United States to describe China’s external behavior as growing increasingly assertive, even revisionist. Many commentators have attributed this shift to Xi, suggesting a causality between his leadership and China’s growing assertiveness. To many i..

Ryan Hass
19th Party Congress , AIIB , BRI , BRICS , communist party , Xi Jinping