Recent Publications

North Korean Civil-Military Trends: Military-First Politics to a Point
September 1, 2006 — Author: Mr Ken E Gause Civil-military relations is one of the most challenging dimensions to deal with regarding North Korea. Since 1998, Pyongyang's foremost policy has been declared as "military-first." While experts debate the precise meaning and significance of this policy, considerable consensus exists that it gives the leading role to the... MORE

Kim Jong Il and North Korea: The Leader and the System
March 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Andrew Scobell In the first decade of the 21st century, few national security challenges facing the United States is as vexing as that posed by North Korea. It is a paradox because it appears to be a very powerful state—possessing the world's fourth largest armed forces, a sizeable arsenal of ballistic missiles, and a worrying nuclear... MORE

North Korea’s Strategic Intentions
July 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Andrew Scobell Dr. Andrew Scobell examines the topic of Pyongyang's strategic intentions. He first identifies a broad spectrum of expert views and distills this wisdom into three "packages" of possible strategic intentions. He then sets out to test which package appears to reflect actual North Korean policy. While he opines that one is... MORE

Welcome Iran and North Korea to the Nuclear Club: You’re Targeted
June 1, 2005 — Author: LTC Raymond A Millen Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the June 2005 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Dismantling North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Programs
April 1, 2005 — Author: COL David J Bishop This paper examines the choices available to the United States for dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. The options range from doing nothing to executing policies of engagement, containment, or preemption. Each option has advantages and disadvantages, and there are numerous factors influencing the problem... MORE

China and North Korea: From Comrades-In-Arms to Allies at Arm’s Length
March 1, 2004 — Author: Dr Andrew Scobell At first, it might not seem surprising to have a formal military alliance that has endured more than 4 decades between two communist neighbors, China and North Korea. After all, their armed forces fought shoulder-to-shoulder in the Korean War 50 years ago. However, Beijing's ties to Pyongyang have weakened considerably... MORE

Planning for a Peaceful Korea
February 1, 2001 — Author: Mr Henry D Sokolski With the change of administrations in Washington, current U.S. policy toward North Korea will naturally undergo review and scrutiny. The essays in this volume offer an option to the current engagement approach. The authors suggest an alternative strategy for promoting peace and security in the Korean peninsula different... MORE

East Asia in Crisis: The Security Implications of the Collapse of Economic Institutions
February 5, 1999 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank The challenges to the United States and to its armed forces are numerous and highly significant. Moreover, we must begin to address them now even if other institutions cannot or will not do so with us. Those crises comprise ASEAN's decline as a meaningful security provider, Russia's collapse, Japan's stagnation, South... MORE

The Invitation to Struggle: Executive and Legislative Competition over the U.S. Military Presence on the Korean Peninsula
May 1, 1996 — Author: Dr William E Berry Jr This monograph was presented originally at the International Workshop on the U.S.-ROK Alliance held in Seoul, Korea, in October 1995. The Strategic Studies Institute co-hosted this workshop in collaboration with the Institute for Far Eastern Studies of Kyungnam University and in partnership with The Korea Society and... MORE

International Politics in Northeast Asia: The China-Japan-United States Strategic Triangle
March 1, 1996 — Author: Dr Thomas L Wilborn The United States has vital security and economic interests in Northeast Asia, one of the most dynamic regions of the world. This monograph focuses on the three bilateral relationships, those connecting China, Japan, and the United States to each other, which will dominate the future of the region. Dr. Thomas Wilborn... MORE

Strategic Implications of the U.S.-DPRK Framework Agreement
April 1, 1995 — Author: Dr Thomas L Wilborn The United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) signed an unprecedented framework agreement in October 1994 to halt the latter's nuclear weapons program, establish low-level diplomatic contacts between Washington and Pyongyang, and reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula. In this study, the author... MORE

The New Russia in the New Asia
July 1, 1994 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank This monograph offers an account of the current struggle inside Russia over Asian policy and of the direction of that struggle. The author describes the dominant Russian viewpoints on policy in Asia. Current proponents of an Asian policy based primarily upon military considerations seem to hold sway. Advocates of this... MORE