Threats

What If Trump's North Korea Bluster Actually Worked?

Kim Jong Un’s offer of talks with the U.S. is accompanied by questions about his intentions.

Ideas

Expect North Korea to Add Nuclear Coercion to Its Provocation Playbook

Kim's nuclear arsenal is built to "deter and coerce." We're probably going to find out soon what forms the latter will take.

Threats

US Announces New Sanctions Against Smugglers Who Bring Fuel to North Korea

The White House takes aim at international shipping companies in its latest attempt to undermine Pyongyang’s weapons developments.

Ideas

Why Human Rights Have Taken Center Stage in the US-North Korea Crisis

Unable to threaten Pyongyang into submission, Trump turned to denouncing its nightmarish repression. That has consequences.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Requesting $66M For Laser Drones to Shoot Down North Korean Missiles

The Missile Defense Agency is rushing to put more solutions in the field and trying to put past failures behind them.

Threats

Here's How US-North Korea Crises Typically End

Donald Trump says he won't repeat the mistakes of the past. But the past offers clues to what he might do.

Ideas

Let’s Call Trump’s Parade What it Is: Another Dangerous Attempt to Divide Us

I know a thing or two about good military ceremonies, and Trump’s parade is a bad idea.

Ideas

Is Trump Preparing for War With North Korea?

The omissions in the State of the Union, and the fate of Victor Cha, all point in the same direction.

Threats

Trump's Red Line on North Korea Gets Fuzzier

Mike Pompeo adds a few caveats to America's strategy.

Threats

What A Nuclear Missile Attack On Hawaii Would Look Like

A blast over Honolulu would be catastrophic. That doesn’t mean the government shouldn’t help the public prepare for one.

Ideas

What if H.R. McMaster Is Right About North Korea?

It’s reassuring to think the country wants only a defensive capability. It could very easily be wrong.

Ideas

Don’t Hold Missile-Defense Hostage to the Illusion of a Perfect Grade

How is North Korea improving its ICBMs so quickly? It’s not afraid of a test failure — or six.

Threats

North Korea-Bound Ships Could Soon Be Routinely Intercepted by the US and Allies

Foreign ministers from the U.S. and about 20 other countries will weigh the measures as part of new pressure on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs.

Ideas

Hawaii's Nuclear Wakeup Call (and Why We Should Take MLK's Advice)

The Cold War brought plenty of false alarms — but nothing like the situation we face today.

Ideas

How the Olympics Could Help Defuse the North Korea Crisis

The games give Trump a chance to affirm inter-Korean diplomacy while laying the groundwork for talks with the Kim regime.

Ideas

Waiting for the Bomb to Drop

There are sounds, for those who can hear them, of the preliminary and muffled drumbeats of war.

Ideas

Kim Jong Un's Trap for South Korea

An offer of dialogue from the North could be an effort to split the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

Ideas

Last Year’s Top 5 Worst Nuclear Nightmares (That Aren't Going Away)

Each of these threats has only gotten worse. Take one guess what (or who) I think remains the top nuclear threat to us...