Threats

China Won't Solve Washington's Problem with Kim Jong Un

Beijing’s current policy risks such a disaster, but the alternatives are hardly more palatable.

Threats

US Anti-Missile Batteries Arrive in South Korea, Touching Off Geopolitical Tumult

The weapon’s deployment converges with other tensions among China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, and the United States.

Ideas

Pick Up the Pace on Missile Defense

Five steps to keep U.S. defenses ahead of North Korea’s efforts to make weapons that can threaten American cities.

Ideas

Calm Down About North Korea’s Nukes

History shows that nuclear states don’t behave more aggressively or coercively.

Science & Tech

The Technology Race to Build — or Stop — North Korea’s Nuclear Missiles

As Pyongyang warns of an upcoming ICBM test, and Trump threatens to stop it, the Pentagon has few good options.

Ideas

Washington's Dangerous Drums of War on North Korea

Bombing North Korea’s missile sites would be a ‘monumental act of folly.’

Ideas

Can Trump Make a Deal With North Korea?

One of the biggest problems facing the president-elect might also be his biggest opportunity.

Ideas

The Next President’s Headaches, According to America’s Top Spy

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper discusses emerging challenges in U.S.-Russian relations, cybersecurity, and how his office views North Korea’s nuclear program.

Threats

Don’t Buy the Bluster. East Asia Is Less Heated Than It Appears: US Diplomat

An architect of the Asia pivot puts context to threats from North Korea and bluster from the Philippines.

Ideas

Nuclear Test No. 5: How North Korea's Compares to Other Countries'

Here's what other nuclear powers achieved, and what that reveals about Kim Jong Un's progress.

Ideas

North Korea Is Not Afraid of the International Community

With sanctions having no effect, few options remain short of regime change and acquiescence to Pyongyang as a permanent nuclear power.

Business

Pentagon: We’re Closer Than Ever to Lasers That Can Stop Iranian, North Korean Missiles

With global demand for missile defense surging, US officials are fine-tuning cheaper, more powerful laser weapons.

Ideas

China May Hate THAAD, But There's Not Much It Can Do About it

Beijing is blustering as the US prepares to deploy a new anti-missile system in South Korea.

Science & Tech

The Increasingly Automated Hunt for Mobile Missile Launchers

The trick is training computers to filter the normal from an ocean of imagery, alert human analysts sparingly, and learn from their feedback.

Science & Tech

Pyongyang Forecast: More Missiles Through May

North Korea's recent launches display modest technological achievements, but that’s not why they’re flying.

Ideas

Under the Nuclear Shadow: A Short History of the China-North Korea Relationship

While Beijing may be unhappy about Pyongyang’s nuclear games, few expect bold action that could cause sudden collapse.

Ideas

What North Korea’s Latest Missile Test Means for the US and Its Allies

The Unha launch is hardly the basis for panic, but it is time for certain measures to ensure security and stability.

Science & Tech

Old American Warplanes Still Scare North Korea

The B-52 bomber might be more than 50 years old, but when it flies near the Korean peninsula, Kim Jong-un’s government pays attention.

Threats

How to Tell The Difference Between a Nuclear Bomb Test and an Earthquake

The preliminary data suggests that the event in North Korea was not, in fact, the end of the world.