- DETERRENCE: Nuclear and conventional extended deterrence in a Northeast Asian nuclear weapons-free zone, summary report
- DPRK: China urges international help for N. Korea
- CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: A meta-analysis of global urban land expansion
- ENERGY SECURITY: This week in clean economy: Renewables industry, advocates weigh in on Obama plan
- GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: North Korea topic of South Korea, Japan, US defense-level talks
DETERRENCE: Nuclear conventional extended deterrence in a Northeast Asian nuclear weapons-free zone, summary report, East Asia Nuclear Security Workshop, International House of Japan, Tokyo (18 January 2012) [PDF, 0.5 MB]
Having arguably survived the workshop’s “road test,” it is now time to put the concept of a Northeast Asia nuclear weapons-free zone to the “acid test” by probing for the perspectives of key players in Pyongyang and Washington DC.
- A proposal for a nuclear weapons-free zone in Northeast Asia, Morton Halperin, NAPSNet Special Report (2 January 2012)
- Is a nuclear-free East Asia possible? Opportunities and constraints, Peter Hayes, Report from the 6th Jeju Forum Panel, Current Forum (28 May 2011)
- The reduction of tension in Korea, volume 1 [PDF, 1.9 MB], The reduction of tension in Korea, volume 2 [PDF, 9.3MB], Peter Colm et al, Institute for Defense Analysis (June 1972)
DPRK: China urges international help for N. Korea, Asia One News (30 January 2012)
China agreed to supply the DPRK with 500,000 tons of food and 250,000 tons of crude oil and urged the others to “provide North Korea with more humanitarian assistance.” It was also reported that North Korea will resume nation-wide food distribution for the first time in seven years. The DPRK asked the US government to resume food aid as a “confidence building measure” that could help restart negotiations over the DPRK’s nuclear program.
- Food distribution to resume for the first time in seven years, IFES NK Brief (25 January 2012)
- DPRK will follow U.S. moves: FM Spokesman, KCNA News (11 January 2012)
- Kim Jong Il’s death suggests continuity plus opportunity to engage, Peter Hayes, Scott Bruce, and David von Hippel, The Nautilus Institute (19 December 2011)
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: A meta-analysis of global urban land expansion, Karen C. Seto et al., PLoS ONE, vol. 6, issue 8 (August 2011) [PDF, 511 KB]
Karen C. Seto et al. provide the first estimates of how fast global urban areas are currently growing and how that growth may develop in the future. They draw from peer-reviewed studies that used satellite data to map urban expansion and found that from 1970 to 2000 the world’s urban footprint had grown by at least 22,400 square miles.
- Global change and the ecology of cities, Nancy B. Grimm et al., Science, vol. 319, pp. 756–760 (2008) [PDF, 244 KB]
- Global consequences of land use, Jonathan A. Foley, et al., Science, vol. 309, pp. 570-574 (2005) [PDF, 373 KB]
ENERGY SECURITY: This week in clean economy: Renewables industry, advocates weigh in on Obama plan, Maria Gallucci, InsideClimate News (27 January 2012)
In his State of the Union Address, President Obama emphasized passage of a federal clean energy standard, and extension of renewable energy tax credits/subsidies. Clean energy advocates were supportive, noting large historical oil and gas industry subsidies, recent success in reducing costs of solar power, and the policies’ potential to jump-start the clean energy economy. Funding for early-stage clean technology R&D was cited as a key need.
- Energy efficiency: The slip switch to a new track toward compliance with federal air regulations, Sara Hayes and Rachel Young, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (31 January 2012) [PDF, 626 KB]
- For the electric car, a slow road to success, Jim Motavalli, Yale Environment 360 (26 January 2012)
- The state of solid state lighting, Steve Nadell, Sustainable Facility (4 January 2012)
GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: North Korea topic of South Korea, Japan, US defense-level talks, Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes (31 January 2012)
The US, ROK and Japan held two-day trilateral defense talks, leading some scholars to believe the US may seek a NATO-style alliance in Asia while the DPRK has interpreted the US shift towards Asia as a threat to regional peace. In a sign of easing tensions, however, a bipartisan group of ROK parliamentarians plan to visit the Kaesong Industrial Complex next week and the US has signaled its openness to restarting the six party talks.
- South Korean lawmakers to visit Kaesong park to hear grievances, Xinhua News Agency (20 January 2012)
- Senior US diplomat for Asia says military deterrence will back up diplomacy with N Korea, Associated Press (31 January 2012)
- North Korea accuses US of creating crisis in Korean peninsula, RTT News (30 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