geopolitics
South Korea’s Looming Choice
Following Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s address, most of the media and analytical focus tended to revolve around his “nuclear button,” his statement that North Korea would begin “mass production” of nuclear weapons, or more hopefully, his surprising outreach toward the South Korean government of Moon Jae-in, which has
Why Does China Hate THAAD So Much?
THAAD is a useful acronym to know if you’re interested in the geopolitical tensions in East Asia. The deployment of the U.S.’s Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea caused a sudden transformation of Korea’s relationship with China, its neighbor and number one
A Delicate Balance: Moon Seeking a New Path in Beijing
The most sensational news to come out of President Moon Jae-in’s state visit to China this week is a reported incident of two South Korean photo journalists getting beat up by Chinese security guards while Moon was attending a trade event in Beijing Thursday morning. Grainy footage of suited
North Korea Nuclear Crisis 101
North Korea makes the international news far more often than other countries of its size. Its leader is a young, overweight guy with a funny haircut, and there are regularly big parades in the capital city featuring gaudy propaganda images and goose-stepping soldiers. But despite being a poor, inward-looking country,