In The News

India’s Iran Challenge

Harsh V. Pant February 17, 2012
While the international community agrees that Iran’s development of nuclear weapons will destabilize the Middle East, responses to the West’s call for sanctions against Iran highlight diverse foreign-policy approaches, especially from India and China, ranked fourth and second, respectively, as the world’s largest oil consumers. China unequivocally prioritizes its domestic interests and energy...

Hunger Pains Test North Korea’s Dynastic Succession

Shim Jae Hoon February 1, 2012
Isolated North Korea has carried out early stages of transfer of power from Kim Jong Il to his third son, Kim Jong Un, with elaborate titles and displays of respect. But the government faces grave challenges stemming from decades of prioritizing military spending capped by a nuclear-weapons program, acrimonious relations with South Korea since the 1950-1953 war, and steadfast refusal to engage...

Burma Ready to Play Ball With US

Bertil Lintner January 20, 2012
In 1989, after the Burmese military’s brutal suppression of protests for democracy, the US ambassador dismissed the country as having “very little strategic interest.” For the next two decades, the US unleashed fierce criticism on Burma’s leaders, imposing sanctions. An unintended consequence was to drive the regime closer to China and North Korea. The ties brought construction of Chinese oil...

North Korea After Kim

Jayshree Bajoria December 20, 2011
With the death of North Korea’s dictator, speculation focuses on transfer of power and the fate of the nation’s nuclear weapons program. Much depends on whether successor Kim Jong-un can earn respect from North Korea’s military leaders. Military expenditures are estimated to represent about 25 percent of the nation’s GDP; about one fifth of North Koreans participate in the military. The...

Analysis: In Death, Kim Gives China a Dose of Dread

Chris Buckley, Ben Blanchard December 19, 2011
North Korea’s erratic, secretive dictator is dead. After years of unsuccessful international efforts to convince North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program, nations, including China, are worried about instability. North Korea’s 25 million people face ongoing food and energy shortages, and the regime has long depended on China for aid. Despite illness, Kim Jong-Il visited China, his country’s...

Nuclear Power Goes Rogue

Henry Sokolski November 30, 2011
The Fukushima nuclear accident has imposed immense ripple effects throughout the global nuclear power industry. Fukushima presents a clear example of the dangers and costs of nuclear power – Japanese officials have pegged the cost of the Fukushima accident at $64 billion. As many in the developed world are reconsidering nuclear power as part of their energy strategy, nuclear suppliers turn to the...

World Anxious as Iran Inches Toward Nuclear Bomb

Leonard S. Spector November 14, 2011
As the international community seeks ways to reduce nuclear weapons, the few nations that defy this common goal are targets for ire, monitoring, and escalating sanctions. The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported evidence that Iran is continuing to build the technical skills required for producing nuclear weapons and accumulating stocks of partially enriched uranium. Nonproliferation...