- DETERRENCE: Missile defense intercepts in space: A problem not solved
- DPRK: Lee Myung Bak regime accused of disturbing peace and security in northeast Asia
- CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Adapting for a green economy: Companies, communities and climate
- ENERGY SECURITY: Post-crisis Japanese nuclear policy: From top-down directives to bottom-up activism
- GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: Yokohama Declaration for a Nuclear Power Free World
DETERRENCE: Missile defense intercepts in space: A problem not solved, Robert Gard, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation (16 January 2012)
A US Defense Science Board report on “early intercept” of ballistic missiles found that discriminating between an incoming warhead and “other pieces of the offensive missile complex” such as rocket bodies, miscellaneous hardware, and intentional countermeasures is beyond the ability of deployed missile defense systems.
- Science and technology issues of early intercept ballistic missile defense, Defense Science Board (September 2011)
- Memorandum for Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Lt. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly, US Missile Defense Agency (30 November 2011) [PDF, 1.7MB]
- A flawed and dangerous U.S. missile defense plan, G. Lewis, T. Postol, Arms Control Today (May 2010)
DPRK: Lee Myung Bak regime accused of disturbing peace and security in northeast Asia, Korean Central News Agency (20 January 2012)
North Korea noted that it hoped to “resume the six-party talks,” with a focus on normalization, denuclearization, and the “provision of aid” to the DPRK. This is one of the first DPRK statements on the talks and denuclearization since the death of Kim Jong-Il. The report accused the ROK of trying to “politicize” confidence building measures between the US and DPRK and noted that the talks were important to ensure security for the region.
- North Korea after Kim Jong Il: The risks of improvisation, Ruediger Frank, 38 North (12 January 2012)
- The DPRK interregnum: Window of opportunity for the international community, Victor Hsu, The Nautilus Institute (10 January 2012)
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Adapting for a green economy: Companies, communities and climate, Lila Karbassi et al., United Nations Global Compact, United Nations Environment Programme-UNEP, Oxfam, and World Resources Institute-WRI (2011) [PDF, 839 KB]
The private sector has much to contribute to the development and implementation of climate change adaptation solutions, including sector specific expertise, technology, significant levels of financing, efficiency and an entrepreneurial spirit. The key is to find the nexus of shared interest where business incentives align with communities’ adaptation needs.
- Climate change and security: Rsks and opportunities for business, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and Lloyd’s, London, UK (2009)
- Adaptation to climate change: Key considerations for business, Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris (2009)
ENERGY SECURITY: Post-crisis Japanese nuclear policy: From top-down directives to bottom-up activism, Daniel P. Aldrich, AsiaPacific Issues (January 2012) [PDF, 460 KB]
The development of nuclear power in Japan since 1954 was driven by top-down directives and a broad suite of policy tools, creating an appearance of public support. Since the 1990s this support has eroded, with grassroots groups engaged in resisting the siting of nuclear facilities. The Fukushima disaster and subsequent inadequate government/nuclear industry responses are serving as further catalysts for “bottom-up initiatives and bold actions.”
- Japanese struggle to protect their food supply, Martin Fackler, New York Times (21 January 2012)
- A lesson from the March 11 quake and tsunami: An awareness of the importance of ‘resilience’, Junko Edahiro, Japan for Sustainability Newsletter (December 2011)
- Big risks, better alternatives: An examination of two nuclear energy projects in the U.S., Synapse Energy Economics, prepared for Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Webinar (6 December 2011) [PDF, 1.23 MB]
GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: Yokohama Declaration for a Nuclear Power Free World, Global Conference for a Nuclear Power Free World (15 January 2012) [PDF, 94 KB]
The two-day Global Conference for a Nuclear Free World held in Yokohama, Japan, bringing together 311 nuclear experts and activists and over 10,000 civilian supporters, called for a global road map for the gradual phase-out of nuclear power and an increased role for civil society across East Asia. Twenty-two ROK women’s groups also released a statement calling for an end to nuclear power and greater cooperation between government and civil society.
- Declaration by Three Hundred Eleven Representatives for a Nuclear Free East Asia, 100 Declarers for a Nuclear Free East Asia (23 November 2011) [PDF, 59 KB]
- “We want a nuclear-free peaceful world,” say South Korea’s women, Women News Network (13 January 2012)
- Power to the people: Conference calls for quick exit from nuclear power, Sophie Knight and Louis Templado, Asahi Shimbun (15 January 2012)
Note: We regret that the Austral Security section is not included in this week’s NAPSNet report and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
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Editor
Contributors
- Deterrence: Peter Hayes
- Governance and Civil Society: Yi Kiho, Dyana Mardon
- Climate Change Adaptation: Saleem Janjua
- DPRK: Scott Bruce
- Energy Security: David von Hippel