Dive into the archives.
- US Policy Options for North Korea, Part II
[Part I]
Here is part two of U.S. policy options for dealing with a nuclear North Korea.
Unknowns:
Recent reports from U.S. intelligence, the ROK and DPRK about North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s health mean that it is currently unknown whether he continues to function as the leader of the DPRK. If he does not, it [...]
- US Policy Options for North Korea, Part I
The following is the first part of a five part series on U.S. policy options towards a nuclear North Korea. It will be organized as follows:
Part I: Background
Part II: Unknowns, Assumptions and U.S. Objectives
Part III: Option 1: Strategic Neglect
Part IV: Option 2: A Regional Nuclear Rebalancing
Part V: Option 3: Comprehensive Negotiations
Part VI: Option 4: Containment [...]
- The Terrorist Threat Environment Today
My last post asked readers several questions relating to the threat of jihadist terrorism.
As promised, I’d like to present my take on the current threat picture by answering the question I posed and elaborating further.
How do you breakdown the jihadist threat?
What was clear, from the Spiegel article I mentioned citing seven different experts, the mainstream [...]
- Economist sums it up nicely
The Economist sums up Russia’s recent “reemergence” and the “new Cold War” nicely:
“Russian forces are not modern. Some of their weapons date back to the 1960s and 1970s. But that does not mean they cannot kill you,” says Pavel Felgenhauer, a Russian defence writer for Novaya Gazeta, a newspaper. The Russians may not be a [...]
- A Clear Threat Picture of Terrorism
Now that the seven year anniversary of 9/11 is behind us and readers have seen the many commentaries by leading counterterrorism experts, bloggers and journalists, it is time to ask whether after seven years we have a clear understanding and picture of the threat that faces us. The Spiegel, a German magazine, has a good [...]
- Where Kinetic Ops Cant Compete
While I and other commentators have welcomed increased US strikes into the ungoverned Pakistani tribal areas, a recent article brings to light part of the complexities of our more aggressive strategy. There have been five strikes within the last twelve days and while it seems some did eliminate both foreign fighters and Taliban members, [...]
- Iran: Nuclear Hedging or Acquisition?
In the spirit of my last post, I’d like to pose a very simple question to readers: Is Iran attempting to acually acquire nuclear weapons or employing the tried and true strategy of nuclear hedging?
The acquisition of nuclear weapons needs no explanation so let us begin with a definition of “nuclear hedging” taken from [...]
- All It Takes is One Why
Anyone familiar with Socrates knows his favorite question was why. Those who regularly converse and argue with others, especially about political topics, knows a strategically placed “why” can halt your opponent in his tracks. This simple, yet crucial question is asked far too rarely by both individuals inside and outside the government. Arab Media Shack, [...]
- To Punish or Rehabilitate Russia?
Many saw the SCO as an organization that may one day rival NATO. Regardless of whether that assessment was accurate, more evidence against it has come in the form of China and the SCO’s recent joint statement from Tajikistan in which it calls for Georgia’s territorial integrity to be respected. While the language was clearly [...]
- Kaplan on Russian Aggression in Georgia
Kaplan has a short, clear and insightful piece up at the Atlantic cutting through the regurgitated cliches and common thinking on the current Russian aggression in Georgia. It begins:
Russian troops have established control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two separatist regions of Georgia. The Russian military, having now secured complete control over the autonomous territories [...]
