Nautilus Peace and Security Weekly

Recommended Citation

"Nautilus Peace and Security Weekly", NAPSNet Weekly Report, May 31, 2012, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-weekly/nautilus-peace-and-security-weekly-5/

31 May 2012

The Nautilus Peace and Security Weekly Report presents articles and full length reports each week in six categories: Austral securitynuclear deterrenceenergy security, climate change adaptation, the DPRK, and governance and civil society. Our team of contributors carefully select items that highlight the links between these themes and the three regions in which our offices are found—North America, Northeast Asia, and the Austral-Asia region. Each week, one of our authors also provides a short blog that explores these inter-relationships.

CONTENTS

See this week’s blog from our Austral Peace and Security contributor, Richard Tanter.


DETERRENCE: Achieving an international environment to enable a reduced role for nuclear weapons, Abe Nobuyasu, NAPSNet Special Report (29 May 2012)

For a Northeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone to be achieved, North Korea must dismantle its nuclear weapons and commit itself to denuclearize while Japan and South Korea only need to legally commit their non-nuclear status. Therefore, at least theoretically, it is now an idea even conservatives can consider endorsing.


DPRK: Special coverage of North Korea detaining 28 Chinese fishermen, Phoenix TV (24 May 2012) [Chinese language]

China conducted an unusually strong media campaign with several leading North Korea hands to protest North Korea taking Chinese fishermen hostage. China publically announced relations between the two are “normal” relations instead of “special” relations.  It is too early to assess the impact on future relations. DPRK is experiencing a withering drought which will likely exacerbate food shortages. China issues work visas to 20k North Koreans.


CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Adaptation to climate change: Formulating policy under uncertainty, Leo Dobes, CCEP working paper 1201, Crawford School of Economics and Government, Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, Australia (2012) [PDF, 658 KB]

Economists were able to formulate and recommend policy approaches for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (mitigation) by drawing on an existing body of economic theory related to externalities. However, no comparably straightforward approach has yet  emerged  in  the  adaptation  literature, possibly  due  to  the  diffuse  nature  of climatic effects that may occur in very diverse geographical locations.


ENERGY SECURITY: Camp David Declaration, Press Release from the White House (19 May 2012)

The G-8 declaration asserts “the development of and universal access to environmentally safe, sustainable, secure, and affordable sources of energy is essential to global economic growth and to their overall efforts to address climate change.” It also endorsed a new initiative on reducing short-lived climate pollutants outside the UNFCCC process, which seems to be stalling.


GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: DUP joins Saenuri to kick out proportional reps, Joongang Ilbo (31 May 2012)

ROK President Lee criticized pro-DPRK groups in a bi-weekly radio address and both the ruling and main opposition parties have agreed to try to remove accused pro-DPRK Assembly members. An increasing number of teens are spending time searching the web for postings in violation of the National Security Law for submission to the National Security Service. However, many younger Koreans are more concerned with the ROK-US relationship than DPRK issues.


AUSTRAL PEACE AND SECURITY: Defence cuts a ‘threat’ to US alliance, John Kerin, Australian Financial Review (25 May 2012)

The nation’s top defence analysts warn that the Gillard government’s deep cuts are threatening the future of the United States alliance and Australia’s status as a middle power. The warnings come in response to a report by the leading defence think tank, ASPI, which calculates that Labor has cut, deferred or avoided spending of almost $25 billion on defence since 2009, creating an “unsustainable mess” in the defence budget.


Check out this week’s Austral Peace and Security blog: Complex Uncertainties in the Australian Hinge of the Pacific Pivot.


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