NAPSNet 5 April 2012

Recommended Citation

"NAPSNet 5 April 2012", NAPSNet Weekly Report, April 04, 2012, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-weekly/napsnet-5-april-2012/

DETERRENCE: Pivot to the Pacific? The Obama Administration’s “Rebalancing” toward Asia, Mark Manyin et al, Congressional Research Service, R42448 (March 2012) [PDF, 0.7 MB]

Underlying the “pivot” are tensions in Sino-U.S. relations and China’s integration into the international community. The “pivot” presents new military priorities and deployments; a more integrated and region-wide approach to the Asia-Pacific; and a vision of the region’s geography to include the Indian Ocean.

DPRK: FM Spokesman on U.S. announcement of suspension of food aid to DPRK, KCNA (31 March 2012)

North Korea said that suspension of US food aid to the DPRK would scrap the February 29th agreement in its entirety. The US has put food aid on hold pending the North’s decision to launch an “earth observation satellite.” The North recommitted to allow IAEA inspectors to “ensure the transparency of its nuclear activities.” A related KCNA statement promised “counter-measures” if the DPRK’s right to the peaceful use of space was denied.

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Modelling the potential damage-reducing benefits of flood warnings using European cases, Sally J. Priest, Dennis J. Parker and Sue M. Tapsell, Environmental Hazards: Human and Policy Dimensions, vol. 10, pp. 101–120, 2011 [PDF, 352 KB]

Sally J. Priest et al. present an extended approach to the estimation of potential flood damage reduction benefits of flood warnings for fluvial and tidal floods, drawing upon research completed for the European Commission’s Floodsite project. They demonstrate the potential economic benefits of coupling flood warnings to a combination of structural and non-structural flood risk management measures.

ENERGY SECURITY: Sufficient electric power supply, a key factor for stabilizing North Korean people’s lives, and electricity is supplied for two hours a day in Pyongyang, North Korea Today (21 March 2012)

North Korean authorities identify enhancing electricity supplies as a key issue in normalising food supplies and economic development. Electricity provision suffers from low supply of fuel to power plants, in part because coal exports to China bring in hard currency. Combined with maintenance issues, this means “only 20 to 30 [% of] plants are operated.” Power deficits affect coal mining and other activities, creating a “vicious negative cycle.”

GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: Scholars from Seoul, Beijing discuss relations, You Sang-chul and Moon Gwang-lip, Joongang Ilbo (2 April 2012)

ROK and Chinese academics and diplomats discussed future cooperation between the two states. ROK scholars called for more efforts towards bridging differences, particularly in regards to the DPRK, while Chinese representatives emphasized developing common interests and not allowing “short-term conflicts” to affect relations. In a policy shift, China allowed ten DPRK defectors who had been in ROK diplomatic missions to arrive in the ROK.

 

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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