Nautilus Institute’s Policy Forum‘s focus is on the timely publication of expert analysis and op-ed style pieces on the foremost of security-related issues to Northeast Asia. Its mission is to facilitate a multilateral flow of information among an international network of policy-makers, analysts, scholars, media, and readers. Policy Forum essays are typically from a wide range of expertise, political orientations, as well as geographic regions and seeks to present readers with opinions and analysis by experts on the issues as well as alternative voices not typically presented or heard. Feedback, comments, responses from Policy Forum readers are highly encouraged.
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South Korea’s Long Bow
South Korea’s Long Bow
by Peter Hayes, NAPSNet Contributor
South Korea has long tried to obtain medium-range ballistic missiles. Today, conservatives in the ROK are outraged that the United States is not inclined to enable the ROK to obtain medium-range delivery systems……
Powerlessness – at the top and the bottom of the pyramid: Part I
Powerlessness – at the top and the bottom of the pyramid: Part I.
by Nikhil Desai, NAPSNet Contributor
Washington, DC area had an extreme climatic event June 29 night. On cue, reporters and editorials began arguing whether this was due to anthropogenic climate change….
New Line of East Asia: Can Japan return to Asia?
New Line of East Asia: Can Japan return to Asia?
by —Yi Kiho – Governance and Civil Society Contributor
Japanese Prime Minister Noda confirmed that the central government will purchase the Senkaku islands…
Go to the articleNuclear corruption 2012 to date
Nuclear Corruption 2012 to Date
by Richard Tanter – Climate Change and Security Contributor
Fukushima will teach many lessons, but one that does not seem to have sunk in yet is the global link between nuclear power and corruption…
Go to the articlePower Transition in North Korea and Kim Jong Un’s Leadership Style: Prospects for Reform and Opening
Haksoon Paik observes that over the past months, Kim Jong Un has displayed several new leadership styles characterized by more openness and transparency, which could potentially lead to reform. Paik notes that Kim Jong Un’s new leadership style “seems to have attained popularity among North Koreans…[his] imitation of his grandfather’s style also appears to have given people hope for a better future, reminding them of “those old good days” of the Kim Il Sung era…”. Paik concludes that it is inevitable, under the circumstances, for Kim Jong Un’s policies to be as independence (juche)-seeking, military-first and defensive against external security threats as his predecessors’, but that Kim Jong Un shows signs of being more sensitive and responsive to the demands of the people from below in the domestic realm.
Haksoon Paik is the Director of Inter-Korean Relations Studies Program and the Director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute, an independent think tank in South Korea.
Go to the articleRoadblock Removed—The Issue of North Korean Debt to Russia Settled
Georgy Toloraya considers the implications of Russia’s recent decision to forgive 90% North Korea’s 11 billion dollar debt (USD). According to reports, the remainder will be transferred to the Russian Vnesheconom bank account at the North Korean Bank of Foreign Trade, to be used for projects that will promote the development of educational and health care systems and the energy industry. Toloraya notes that the absence of the debt problem will make financial arrangements for future projects, like the proposed gas pipeline, easier, but that the fate of such projects now depends on Seoul’s position, not on Pyongyang’s credit rating.
Georgy Toloraya is the Director of Korean research programs at the Institute of Economy at the Russian Academy of Science.
Go to the articleClimate Related Migration in Asia and the Pacific
Nautilus Peace and Security Weekly Report—Contributor’s blog entry for Climate Change Adaptation.
The environment is becoming a noteworthy reason for migration in Asia and the Pacific, especially in low-lying coastal zones and eroding river banks. In the year 2010 alone, climate related disasters and weather extremities forced around 31.3 million people in this region to relocate their dwellings…
Go to the articleThank You DPRK: Driving the U.S. and China Together
Nautilus Peace and Security Weekly Report—Contributor’s blog entry for DPRK.
Continuing with the theme of North Korea paradoxically dividing and unifying Asia, the past few weeks have seen a tremendous amount of activity. Ironically, it also seems the source most likely to report the details of this activity has been the Chinese press…
Go to the articleLoose Lips Sink Ships
Peter Hayes evaluates the plausibility South Korea attaining nuclear weapons, either through the development of a domestic nuclear program or though the deployment of weapons from the United States. Hayes reviews recent calls from US Representative Trent Franks and the Saenuri Party’s Chung Mong-joon to arm South Korea with nuclear weapons and concludes that, “Indeed, to the extent that they inflame an already tense situation in Korea, these statements recall an old adage with particular resonance to South Koreans still living with the loss of the ship Cheonan and its crew, viz: “Loose Lips Sink Ships.””
Go to the articleThe DPRK’s Nuclear Constitution
Nautilus Peace and Security Weekly Report—Contributor’s blog entry for Deterrence.
On May 30, 2012, the DPRK official website “My Country” issued a revised North Korean constitution. (Intriguingly, the text appeared only in Korean)…
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