- DETERRENCE: Military aspects of a study of the implications of a communist Chinese nuclear capability
- DPRK: Kim Jong Un focuses on economic reforms, N. Korea official says
- CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Catalyzing urban climate resilience: Applying resilience concepts to planning practice in the ACCCRN Program…
- ENERGY SECURITY: Simultaneously mitigating near-term climate change and improving human health and food security
- GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: Washington, Beijing’s relief over Taiwan election will be temporary
DETERRENCE: Military aspects of a study of the implications of a communist Chinese nuclear capability, B. Jaeger and M. Weiner, RAND (1963) US Freedom of Information Act to Nautilus [PDF, 2.2MB]
This report analyzes how China might use nuclear bombs to disable US aircraft carriers and bases in Korea and Taiwan that support forces blocking Chinese invasion of Taiwan; and US propensity to rely on nuclear forces in response risking nuclear war as shown in studies below.
- Air operations in the Taiwan Crisis of 1958, Jacob Van Staaveren, USAF Historical Division Liaison Office (November 1962) US Freedom of Information Act to Nautilus [PDF, 2.4MB]
- The 1958 Taiwan Straits Crisis, a documented history, Morton Halperin, RAND RM-4900-ISA (1966) [PDF, 8.72MB]
- The new look at the nuclear brink, Peter Hayes, Lyuba Zarsky, Walden Bello, Chapter 3, American Lake, Nuclear Peril in the Pacific, Viking-Penguin (1987) pp. 57-60. [PDF, 6.4MB]
DPRK: Kim Jong Un focuses on economic reforms, N. Korea official says, Kyodo News (17 January 2012)
According to Yang Hyong Sop, North Korea is looking to build a “knowledge-based” economy and Kim Jong-Un has been studying the economic reforms enacted in China and other countries. As an indicator of the DPRK’s economy policy under Kim Jong-Un, North Korea also passed a “corporate law” which established a system for managing corporations in the DPRK which gives them some autonomy while the state regulates sales and maintains the wage system.
- North Korea enacted the first “corporate law”, IFES NK Brief (12 January 2012)
- Pyongyang’s urban future, Calvin Chua, Chosun Exchange (17 January 2012)
- The DPRK interregnum: window of opportunity for the international community, Victor Hsu, The Nautilus Institute (10 January 2012)
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Catalyzing urban climate resilience: Applying resilience concepts to planning practice in the ACCCRN Program (2009-2011), Marcus Moench, Stephen Tyler and Jessica Lage (editors), Institute for Social and Environmental Transition – ISET (2011) [PDF, 21.9 MB]
The Urban Climate Resilience Planning Framework (UCRPF) represents a way of translating the growing body of natural and social scientific knowledge regarding resilience into applied planning practice. By focusing on urban systems, urban agents, urban institutions, and exposure to climate change, the UCRPF helps to identify specifically who might do what to build climate resilience.
- Asian cities climate change resilience network (ACCCRN), Rockefeller Foundation (2012)
- Climate change and urban resilience, Robin Leichenko, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, vol. 3, issue 3, pp. 164-168 (May 2011) [subscription required]
ENERGY SECURITY: Simultaneously mitigating near-term climate change and improving human health and food security, Drew Shindell and 23 co-authors, Science (13 January 2012)
Experts from around the world collaborated on a study of global and regional impacts and costs of reducing emissions of methane (CH4) and black carbon (BC). BC and CH4 emissions affect climate change and local/regional air pollution, with impacts on crops, mortality, etc. Climate benefits of CH4 and BC emissions cuts are large, similar those of an IEA scenario of CO2 reduction; estimated benefits of emissions reduction far outweigh the costs.
- Integrated assessment of black carbon and tropospheric ozone: Summary for decision makers, United Nations Environment Programme and World Meteorological Organization (February 2011) [PDF, 2.67 MB]
- Energy efficiency in 2012: Forecast is mostly sunny, Steven Nadel, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (6 January 2012)
- Unequal risks and benefits for citizens in six states on Keystone XL pipeline route, Lisa Song, InsideClimate News (17 January 2012)
GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: Washington, Beijing’s relief over Taiwan election will be temporary, Jonathan Manthorpe, Vancouver Sun (17 January 2012)
The US and China expressed their approval of Taiwanese President Ma’s re-election, whose Beijing-friendly policies have eased tensions in recent years. However, analysts believe Ma has a weaker mandate now following his ruling party’s loss of legislative seats, while China is expected to push the unification issue. Chinese civil society praised Taiwan’s electoral process and some expect the CCP to face greater pressure to democratize.
- With Taiwan’s election over, China likely to increase pressure for reunification, Public Radio International (17 January 2012)
- Taiwan elections will ‘shock’ China into changing: scholar, Rita Cheng and S.C. Chang, Focus Taiwan (14 January 2012)
- Taiwan’s China-friendly president wins re-election, Associated Press (14 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