North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered an olive branch during his traditional New Year's Day speech. Photo: Reuters/KCNA
Peter J. Brown, Asia Times: North Korea fuels arms, missile, anti-missile race in region and beyond
Despite the Olympic breather, Pyongyang’s threats are prompting new deployments and upping interest in new technologies
The recent olive branch extended by North Korea does not defuse Northeast Asia’s security crisis; the region remains in the midst of a dual missile and anti-missile defense race. Many US military leaders see North Korea’s Winter Olympics participation as nothing more than a breathing space, buying dictator Kim Jong-un extra time to work up his missile and nuclear weapons programs.
Regional uncertainties were underscored by one sentence uttered on New Year’s Day by Kim: “The [North Korean] nuclear-weapons research sector and the rocket industry should mass-produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles.” This stark reminder of Kim’s goal overshadows all future diplomacy.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 12, 2018
The risk bombing North Korea holds for US interests in Asia -- Stephen Bryen, Asia Times
North Korea's Rebuke of the Status Quo -- Michael Heazle, Interpreter
Turkey Breaks With Iran and Russia -- Jacob L. Shapiro, Geopolitical Futures
Crisis Alert: Iran's Population Is under Duress, and America Isn't Helping -- Emma M. Ashford, National Interest
Balance of Power, Balance of Resolve: How Iran is Competing with the United States in the Middle East -- Alex Deep, Modern War Institute
Could ISIL stage a comeback? -- Megan O'Toole, Al Jazeera
Can the ‘Indo-Pacific’ compete with China? -- Tetsuo Kotani, Japan Times
Macron, Not Merkel, Is Europe's Most Powerful Leader -- Ronald Tiersky, RCW
Those Who Wrote Off Merkel Were Wrong Again -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg
Here's What's in Store for U.S.-Russia Relations -- Dave Majumdar, National Interest
Why relations between Slovenia and Croatia are all at sea -- The Economist
Latin America is poised for a turnaround in 2018 -- Jerry Haar, Miami Herald
Argentina's Macri Has a Tough Road Ahead -- Mac Margolis, Bloomberg
The World Is Reacting to Trump's Words—Not His Actions -- Christopher A. Preble, National Interest
Silicon Valley Will Pay the Price for Its Lefty Leanings -- Megan McArdle, Bloomberg
