ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

As the United States faces yet another crisis on the Korean Peninsula engineered by the vexingly erratic and disruptive North Korean regime, one key issue is how China might convince Pyongyang to dial back its provocations lest they escalate into military conflict. Although current consultations between Washington and Beijing are taking place behind closed doors, we do have a window into how the United States assessed China's options during a similar crisis nearly two decades ago -- options that included Chinese troops crossing the Yalu to secure its borders. COMMENTS (8) SHARE: Share on twitterTwitter Share on redditReddit More... In 1994, the United States received new intelligence that North Korea, despite its commitments to the International Atomic Energy Agency under the Nonproliferation Treaty, was moving to produce nuclear weapons. How to halt this program and secure IAEA inspection of North Korea's nuclear facilities was the focus of intense but unfruitful negotiations ...

By Scott McConnell April 11, 2013  -" American Conservative " - The so called P5+1 nuclear negotiations with Iran are apparently going nowhere. One can find small signs of optimism: there was, for instance, some serious give and take at the last session between negotiators. But right now what the West is offering—limited sanctions relief in return for Iran dismantling its major hard-to-destroy reactor—hasn’t impressed the current batch of Iranian negotiators. As I read the accounts —which are highly technical for non-experts— it appears that the Iranians believe that if they’re going to accept limits and more intrusive inspections on their program, they want full sanctions relief, an end to all “regime change” talk and actions, and formal recognition of their right to enrich uranium. Right now the U.S. is offering limited sanctions relief and little else. The sides are far apart. What seems obvious is why Iran would feel it would want a nuclear deterrent. It is surrounded by...

By William Boardman April 11, 2013 - National Paranoia is the Irrational Fear that You’re Being Threatened Which is the more paranoid statement? 1. AMERICAN MEDIA: "North Korea is threatening to attack us with nuclear weapons," or: 2. NORTH KOREAN MEDIA: "The United States is threatening to attack us with nuclear weapons." Taking recent events in the U.S. and the Korean peninsula as evidence, while mostly ignoring historical context, the drift toward another American war in Asia can be seen as clearly as the ambiguous moves and countermoves of countries with no obvious motive for war might allow, producing headlines like this [1] in the New York Times of April 4: “North Korea Moves Missile to Coast, but Little Threat is Seen” According to the Times, “North Korea has been issuing a blistering series of similar threats in recent weeks, citing as targets the American military installations in the Pacific islands of Hawaii and Guam, as well as the United States mainlan...