NAPSNet 22 November 2011

• DETERRENCE: Anti-nuclear Rudd urged US to keep arsenal for deterrence
• CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTION: Sustainable adaptation: An oxymoron? 
• DPRK: S. Korea to give NK natural gas plant for pipeline: Source
• ENERGY SECURITY: Evaluating energy security performance from 1990 to 2010 for eighteen countries
• GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: S. Korea, China, Japan reaffirm commitment to resolving NK nuclear standoff
• AUSTRAL SECURITY: 2500 US marines on Australian soil to increase defence ties

DETERRENCE:  Anti-nuclear Rudd urged US to keep arsenal for deterrence, Daniel Flitton, The Age (14 November 2011)

While publicly supporting nuclear abolition as PM, current Australian Foreign Minister Mr Rudd backed Australian Defence Department officials urging in a confidential 2009 submission to the US Nuclear Posture Review to support a US nuclear deterrent because Australia remains entirely dependent on the United States for extended nuclear deterrence.

• Domestic debates and assessment of extended deterrence in South Korea: A South Korean perspective, Choi, J. K., East Asia Nuclear Security Workshop, Nautilus Institute, Tokyo, Japan (11 November 2011)
• On strengthening and expanding the US nuclear umbrella to dissuade nuclear proliferation, Victor Utgoff and David Adesnik, Institute for Defense Analysis (July 2008)

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Sustainable adaptation: An oxymoron? Katrina Brown, Climate and Development, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 21-31 (June 2011) [265 KB, PDF]

Sustainable adaptation, as a term and a concept, is now gaining currency in debates about how best to respond to climate change, particularly in poor countries. Katrina Brown attempts to show how sustainable adaptation shares some similar features with sustainable development. She highlights the types of interventions which might simultaneously address both climate change and poverty and development concerns.

• More than rain: Identifying sustainable pathways for climate adaptation and poverty reduction, Kirsten Ulsrud, Linda Sygna and Karen O’Brien, The Development Fund, Norway (2008) [PDF, 3.10MB]
• Human security, vulnerability and sustainable adaptation, Karen O’Brien and Robin Leichenko, Occasional Paper, Human Development Report Office, UNDP, New York (2007) [PDF, 251KB]

DPRK: S. Korea to give NK natural gas plant for pipeline: Source, DongA Ilbo (4 November 2011)

The ROK government plans to offer the DPRK a natural gas plant as part of a pipeline proposal to connect the energy sectors of the DPRK, ROK, and Russia. The plant would allow North Korea to absorb natural gas from the project, something it is not currently capable of doing. Russia agreed to take the responsibility for the risk of transporting the natural gas through North Korea, including compensating for any disruption in supply.

• S.Korea, Russia agree to push gas pipeline through N.Korea, Chosun Ilbo (3 November 2011)
• South pushing for discount gas agreement, Cho Jong Ik, Daily NKm (15 August 2011)
• The DPRK power sector: Data and interconnection options, J. Y. Yoon, The Nautilus Institute (9 August 2011)

ENERGY SECURITY: Evaluating energy security performance from 1990 to 2010 for eighteen countries, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Ishani Mukherjee, Ira Martina Drupady, Anthony L. D’Agostino, Energy, volume 36 (21 September 2011) [PDF, 619KB]

Sovacool and colleagues use an index of metrics based on results of interviews, surveys, and an expert workshop to compare the energy security performance of 18 countries over 20 years.  The authors define “energy security” as “how to equitably provide available, affordable, reliable, efficient, environmentally benign, proactively governed and socially acceptable energy services to end-users”.  Japan ranked highest, India and Myanmar lowest.

• Energy security and sustainability in Northeast Asia, David von Hippel, Tatsujiro Suzuki, James H. Williams, Timothy Savage, and Peter Hayes, Energy Policy, Volume 39, Issue 11 (November 2011)
• Measuring energy security: Trends in the diversification of oil and natural gas supplies, Gail Cohen, Frederick Joutz, and Prakash Loungani, IMF Working Paper (February 2011) [PDF, 822KB]
• Indicators of energy security in industrialised countries, Löschel, A., Moslener, U. and Rübbelke, D.T.G., Energy Policy, Volume 38, Issue 4 (April 2010)

GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: S. Korea, China, Japan reaffirm commitment to resolving NK nuclear standoff, Korea Herald (19 November 2011)

China, Japan and the ROK pledged continued cooperation on issues of East Asian economic stability, development and the DPRK nuclear issue at the ASEAN summit. Underlying this show of solidarity, however, lies increasing tensions between the US and China, with China stating that “outside forces” should not be involved in regional issues as other Asian nations, including the ROK and Japan, continue to rely on US support in disputes with China.

• US-China tension spills over into Asia summit, Ben Blanchard and Olivia Rondonuwu, Reuters (18 November 2011)
• Obama in Bali for summit of East Asian Nations, Erica Werner, Associated Press (17 November 2011)
• Korean, Asean plan to expand trade, Joongang Daily (19 November 2011)

AUSTRAL SECURITY: 2500 US marines on Australian soil to increase defence ties, Australian (16 November 2011)

UP to 2500 US Marines will be stationed in Australia for six months of every year under a new bilateral defence deal sealed by Julia Gillard and Barack Obama.The agreement is set against the background of growing Chinese military spending and the dramatic expansion of the Chinese navy. The following reports discuss US impact in the Asia Pacific.

• America’s Pacific century, Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of State, East-West Center Honolulu, HI, US Department of State (10 November 2011)
• US strategic priorities in Asia, Rod Lyon, ASPI (30 September 2011)
• Resident power: The case for an enhanced US military presence in Australia, Dr Toshi Yoshihara, Lowy Institute (July 2011)

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Editors

• Arabella Imhoff & Mihiri Weerasinghe

Contributors

• Deterrence: Peter Hayes
• Governance and Civil Society: Yi Kiho
• Climate Change Adaptation: Saleem Janjua
• DPRK: Scott Bruce
• Energy Security: David von Hippel
• Austral Security: Arabella Imhoff, Mihiri Weerasinghe