Senior Policy Director John Erath wrote an op-ed in The Diplomat about North Korean troops in Ukraine. In October 2024, the news broke that North Korea was sending troops to Russia to participate in Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Although most international responses to this development involved condemnation of this latest escalation, there was also […]
North Korea
The Fall of Assad: A Cautionary Tale for Kim Jong Un
By Shawn Rostker The recent fall of Syria’s Assad regime offers a stark lesson for North Korea: relying on Russia is a gamble that Pyongyang cannot afford to take lightly. Bashar al-Assad’s downfall was, in large part, the result of Moscow’s inability to provide the decisive support needed to save its partner. While the fall […]
How Koreans View Nuclear Issues: Lessons From My Visit
By John Erath I spent last week in Korea, courtesy of the 38 North Program of the Stimson Center, in association with the Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control. I was asked to participate in a workshop and discuss the prospects for U.S. policy following the 2024 Presidential election. The workshop went well, but more […]
Op-ed: North Korean Troops in Russia: What Are They Doing There?
Senior Policy Director John Erath wrote an op-ed in 38 North about North Korean troops in Russia. On October 17, South Korean intelligence disclosed that several thousand North Korean troops had apparently begun training in Russia, presumably for deployment to Ukraine. This was later confirmed by other reporting, including the US Department of Defense. There are several reasons why such an […]
Addressing the China Challenge: The Fallacy of Relying on a Cold War Lens for Nuclear Issues
By Sarah Kirchner-Barney The specter of the Cold War continues to loom large as nuclear saber-rattling has become commonplace from Russia, China continues its ongoing nuclear expansion, and fears of a seventh North Korean nuclear test have put nuclear weapons back in the spotlight. But why worry? The world survived a Cold War once before, […]
