- DETERRENCE: A proposal for a nuclear weapons-free zone in northeast Asia
- DPRK: Joint New Year editorial
- CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Climate uncertainties and their discontents: Increasing the impact of assessments on public understanding of…
- ENERGY SECURITY: Fukushima and the inevitability of accidents
- GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: Opposition parties abundant in general election candidates
DETERRENCE: A proposal for a nuclear weapons-free zone in northeast Asia, Morton Halperin (3 January 2012)
Halperin argues that the parties to the Six-Party talks should negotiate a comprehensive treaty that ends the Korean War, establish a security organization for the region, commit all parties to normalization of relations with no hostile intent, and establish a nuclear weapons-free zone. Only such an approach will reverse North Korea’s nuclear program.
- Asia Pacific leaders call for nuclear disarmament, Asia Pacific Leadership Network For Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Seoul (12 December 2011) [PDF, 0.2 MB]
- Conventional force issues and a Korea-Japan NWFZ, P. Hayes, Richard Tanter, Research Note for November 11, 2011 East Asia Nuclear Security Workshop (23 June 2011) [PDF, 0.3 MB]
- US vs China vs UN Positions on NWFZs, Nautilus Institute background paper, East Asia Nuclear Security Workshop, Tokyo (11 November 2011) [PDF, 0.2 MB]
DPRK: Joint New Year editorial, Korean Central News Agency (1 January 2012)
North Korea’s joint New Years editorial emphasized that the state was united behind Kim Jong-Un and the continuity between his leadership and that of Kim Jong-Il and Kim Il-Sung. The editorial avoided controversial statements on economic reform and state control. The editorial omitted the North’s commitment to denuclearization, which was noted in previous editorials, but discussed Kim Jong-Il’s visits to China and Russia last year.
- 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)
- Unity under Songun: A look into North Korea’s New Year’s editorial, Sarah K. Yun, The Korean Economic Institute (1 January 2012)
- Off to the races, James Church, 38 North (3 January 2012)
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Climate uncertainties and their discontents: Increasing the impact of assessments on public understanding of climate risks and choices, Brenda Ekwurzel, Peter C. Frumhoff & James J. McCarthy, Climatic Change, pp. 791-802 (2011) [PDF, 515 KB]
Several prominent climate assessments with high relevance to US public understanding of climate science have largely failed to reach US public audiences, leaving a vacuum to be filled by less authoritative voices. The paper proposes ways in which the IPCC and other climate assessment institutions might improve their public reach in the United States.
- Defeating the merchants of doubt, Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, Nature, vol. 465, pp. 686-687 (2010) [PDF, 239 KB]
- The growing climate divide, Andrew J. Hoffman, Nature Climate Change, vol. 1, pp. 195-196 (July 2011) [PDF, 71.8 KB]
ENERGY SECURITY: Fukushima and the inevitability of accidents, Charles Perrow, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (1 December 2011)
The combination of unforseen events, regulatory failure, and inept response that brought about March 2011 Fukushima accident is common to most recent industrial disasters. “Normal” accidents are inevitable in many complex modern systems, and can result in “unpredictable, cascading” disasters. The possibility of such accidents cannot be eliminated; perhaps some industrial systems with catastrophic potential “should not be allowed to exist.”
- Trends in various actors after nuclear accident, Japan for Sustainability (31 December 2011)
- Hawaii, California removing barrier limiting rooftop solar projects, Maria Gallucci, InsideClimate News (23 December 2011)
- Pipeline inspector-turned whistleblower calls Keystone XL a potential “disaster”, Stephen Lacey, Climate Progress (3 January 2012)
GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: Opposition parties abundant in general election candidates, Lee Tae-hee, The Hankyoreh (26 December 2011)
ROK opposition parties are gaining traction after the merger of 3 opposition parties to form the Unified Democratic Party and the increasing unpopularity of the ruling GNP, with a poll showing 61% of voters planning to vote against incumbents. In Japan, nine Lower House members left the ruling DPJ to create the new Kizuna party, protesting Prime Minister Noda’s consumption tax plan and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
- Opposition gaining ground, Ahn still ahead of Park: Polls, Korea Herald (2 January 2012)
- DUP electoral college may swell over 500,000, Bae Hyun-jung, Korea Herald (4 January 2012)
- DPJ defectors to form ‘Kizuna’ party on January 4, Asahi Shimbun (2 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