Scholars, advocates, and activists seeking to make the U.S. a more responsible global partner.
North Korea
With a Lot of Help from Our Friends

With a Lot of Help from Our Friends

by | Nov 23, 2010

The Pentagon has more on its plate but, because of domestic factors, will have comparatively less money to deal with it all. Washington has concluded that the only way to solve this particular dilemma is to rely more on partners in the region. The United States has always emphasized its partnerships with Japan, South Korea, and (less so) Taiwan. At times of austerity, Washington is putting more emphasis on burden-sharing. Today, however, the United States will be pushing for more than just additional resources from its allies. More and more, these allies will have to do the heavy lifting themselves.

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The Cheonan Incident: Skepticism Abounds

The Cheonan Incident: Skepticism Abounds

by , , | Nov 15, 2010

On the night of March 26, 2010, the South Korean naval vessel ROKS Cheonan split in half and sunk.  Forty-six sailors lost their lives.  In order to determine the cause, the South Korean government created the Joint Investigation Group (JIG), with representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden, among others. The JIG has since issued its findings in stages, culminating with the release of the official report on September 12, 2010, concluding that a torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine sank the Cheonan. Despite the JIG’s goal of providing definitive proof of the cause of the incident, public skepticism has only increased.

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Sixty Years of Failed Sanctions

by , | Aug 18, 2010

In response to the March 26 sinking of the South Korean ship, the Cheonan, allegedly by a North Korean submarine, the United States is poised to adopt even more stringent sanctions against North Korea. Robert Einhorn, the U.S. State Department’s special advisor for nonproliferation and arms control, recently announced in Seoul that after legal and other questions were sorted, sanctions would be in place “in the next several weeks.”

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Obama Administration Reviews Ottawa Treaty

by | Jun 9, 2010

When it comes to the US joining the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, President Obama is getting the same nonsense from the Pentagon and State Department that President Clinton did when the treaty was being negotiated.  “We need those mines to block a North Korean invasion of South Korea!”

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