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Articles by Mitchell Lerner
North Korea and the War Threats: Is Kim Jong-un Bluffing?
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Subscribe to RSS Print Topic: Security Region: Asia Blog Brand: Korea Watch Tags: North KoreaKim Jong-unROK-North Korea RelationsKim Dynasty To paraphrase Theodore Roosevelt, North Korea usually speaks most loudly when it can’t afford a stick.
Why North Korea Won't Ever Give Up Its Nuclear Weapons
The simple answer to the question of whether North Korea will ever willingly give up its nuclear weapons is: “No.” The more complex and nuanced answer is: “Hell, no.” OK, maybe that is a bit too dramatic. I am a historian, after all, and people in my profession tend to define “ever” as covering a really, really, really, long period of time. Strange and unexpected things do happen over really, really, really, long periods of time.
The domestic factors behind North Korea’s missile tests
The recent wave of North Korean missile tests and other military provocations has sparked a flurry of supposition about the country’s motivation. Much of this speculation, however, shares a common flaw: the assumption that North Korea’s actions should be understood in connection to external rather than internal factors. Unable to view this article? This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software. Please add and to your list of allowed sites.
The domestic factors behind North Korea’s missile tests - Mitchell Lerner
The recent wave of North Korean missile tests and other military provocations has sparked a flurry of supposition about the country’s motivation. Much of this speculation, however, shares a common flaw: the assumption that North Korea’s actions should be understood in connection to external rather than internal factors. QOSHE - The domestic factors behind North Korea’s missile tests - Mitchell Lerner The recent wave of North Korean missile tests and other military provocations has........
The Domestic Factors Behind North Korea’s Missile Tests
The Koreas | Security | East Asia Historically, Pyongyang launches its most provocative foreign policy moves when the regime faces particularly intense problems at home. Current North Korean behavior fits this pattern. The recent wave of North Korean missile tests and other military provocations has sparked a flurry of supposition about the country’s motivation.
The Limits of Economic Leverage in North Korea
For decades, brave and determined American policymakers, when confronted by challenges from North Korea, have courageously fixed their steely gaze towards East Asia and, with resolution, fortitude, and conviction, have chosen to look for scapegoats rather than actually make difficult choices. And while scapegoats have been found in multiple locales, the most common target is China, the one nation that most people believe could easily bring North Korea to heel.
Can Kim Jung Un Survive North Korea's Next 'Arduous March?'
Stability isn’t the same as pregnancy; it isn’t a simple “yes” or “no” condition that is easily defined and (usually) recognizable. Instead, the spectrum ranges from the tremendously stable (iron-56 or the Burj Khalifa) to the incredibly unstable (New York Jets fans). And North Korea can fall on different places within that spectrum depending on what aspects of life are under consideration.
Can Kim Jong Un Survive North Korea's Next 'Arduous March?'
Stability isn’t the same as pregnancy; it isn’t a simple “yes” or “no” condition that is easily defined and (usually) recognizable. Instead, the spectrum ranges from the tremendously stable (iron-56 or the Burj Khalifa) to the incredibly unstable (New York Jets fans). And North Korea can fall on different places within that spectrum depending on what aspects of life are under consideration.
Why Joe Biden Might Be Able to Negotiate With North Korea
It is hard to imagine a less propitious environment for successful policymaking than the one that will likely greet President Joe Biden when he enters the White House on January 20, 2021. The nation’s economy is suffering. Coronavirus deaths are spiking. Racial tensions are exploding. Ugly partisanship characterizes both the political system and the national mood. And soon after inauguration, President Biden can expect another troubling item to land on his “to-do” list: North Korea.
Asian Americans won’t stop discrimination by helping to fight covid-19
Asian Americans sworn in at APAICS ceremonial. (Courtesy: AIPACs) Among the many appalling consequences of covid-19 has been an increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans. Verbal harassment has been common, but acts of violence are on the upswing as well.
Perspective | Asian Americans won’t stop discrimination by helping to fight covid-19
Among the many appalling consequences of covid-19 has been an increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans. Verbal harassment has been common, but acts of violence are on the upswing as well.
The Part of Jimmy Carter’s Legacy Everyone Wants to Forget
Mitchell Lerner is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Korean Studies at The Ohio State University. He is the editor of "A Companion To Lyndon B. Johnson" (Wiley, 2013). Jimmy Carter and Kim Il Sung, 1994 Related Link Miller Center transcript confirms Clinton administration was aghast at Carter's performance Among the many topics recently covered by the international media are two that, on the surface, appear unrelated.
Digital Biosensing by Foundry-Fabricated Graphene Sensors
Abstract The prevailing philosophy in biological testing has been to focus on simple tests with easy to interpret information such as ELISA or lateral flow assays. At the same time, there has been a decades long understanding in device physics and nanotechnology that electrical approaches have the potential to drastically improve the quality, speed, and cost of biological testing provided that computational resources are available to analyze the resulting complex data.
Perspective | The key factor in the rise of Trumpism that we continue to ignore
How the end of the Cold War led to the election of President Trump President Trump attends a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on Dec. 13, 2018. (Evan Vucci/AP) President Trump’s surprising electoral victory in 2016 launched a wide array of suggested explanations. Racism. Sexism. Class divisions. Russia. Cheating. There may be some truth in all (or none) of these hypotheses.
The key factor in the rise of Trumpism that we continue to ignore
Mitchell Lerner, The Washington Post Published 5:14 am CST, Wednesday, January 2, 2019 President Donald Trump's surprising electoral victory in 2016 launched a wide array of suggested explanations. Racism. Sexism. Class divisions. Russia. Cheating. There may be some truth in all (or none) of these hypotheses. However, one important factor has been absent from the conversation: the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.
Commentary: The Trump presidency marks the end of the American century
This short-term focus, however, obscures a critical aspect of what is unfolding around us. The story of last month is not simply about Trump and Putin and Theresa May. Nor is it about defense spending or national borders or Brexit. The biggest story is about the potential demise of the international alliance system that lies at the heart of the modern American success story.
Perspective | The Trump presidency marks the end of the American century
President Trump’s European travels last month raised eyebrows across the world. From his criticism of NATO, to his labeling of the European Union as a “foe,” to his much-maligned news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump set off a frenzy of criticism about his motives, his goals and even his stability. This short-term focus, however, obscures a critical aspect of what is unfolding around us. The story of last month is not simply about Trump and Putin and Theresa May.
Harvard’s Graham Allison answers his critics
Related Link The Trump presidency marks the end of the American century By Mitchell Lerner Few ideas have gained more widespread currency within the U.S. foreign policy community in the last few years than that of the liberal international order.
The Myth of North Korea, the USS Pueblo, and Nuclear War
When the 50th anniversary of the capture of the USS Pueblo hit a few weeks ago, the nation’s eyes briefly returned to this forgotten American spy ship that had been captured in the East Sea in January 1968. For a few days, the internet was awash in stories related to this long-forgotten tragedy.
The Myth of North Korea, the USS Pueblo, and Nuclear War
When the 50th anniversary of the capture of the USS Pueblo hit a few weeks ago, the nation’s eyes briefly returned to this forgotten American spy ship that had been captured in the East Sea in January 1968. For a few days, the internet was awash in stories related to this long-forgotten tragedy.
North Korea's largest overseas restaurant closed down
The largest of North Korea’s overseas restaurants has closed, and its workers have gone home, reports Daily NK. Those formerly employed in North Korea’s overseas joint ventures abroad, and as overseas labor with other companies, have been returning home in stages since sanctions passed by the UNSC last September forbade joint ventures with North Korea. These restaurants are (were?) an interesting phenomenon.
Remembering the Pueblo: How Internal Imperatives Shape North Korean Decisions | 38 North: Informed Analysis of North Korea
38 North is pleased to launch a new collection of short essays that will examine the historical context of key episodes, forces and choices in North Korean history. These essays, written by leading experts in modern Korean history and curated by USKI Research Director Dr. James Person, are meant to extract lessons from the past to increase our understanding of the DPRK today.
Remember the Pueblo!
The Soviets soon began sending back-channel signals that they had not been involved, but the Johnson administration refused to accept the possibility that North Korea might have acted independently. Instead, President Lyndon Johnson and his advisers continued to search for larger Cold War connections to explain the attack, and soon found them in Vietnam.
We won’t go to war with North Korea on purpose. But we might by accident.
In the midst of the vitriol flying between Washington and Pyongyang, a number of voices have emerged to assure the world that war is indeed unlikely. The leadership of both nations, they explain, has many rational, well-informed actors who recognize the potentially catastrophic consequences of a second Korean War, and hence will avoid crossing any of the critical lines that might take us there. Theoretically, the voices are correct.
We won't go to war with North Korea on purpose. But we might by accident.
In the midst of the vitriol flying between Washington and Pyongyang, a number of voices have emerged to assure the world that war is indeed unlikely. The leadership of both nations, they explain, has many rational, well-informed actors who recognize the potentially catastrophic consequences of a second Korean War, and hence will avoid crossing any of the critical lines that might take us there. Theoretically, the voices are correct.
China can’t tame North Korea. The U.S. has to.
Americans awoke on the Fourth of July to a litany of familiar events: parades, picnics, barbecues and a North Korean missile test. This test, the 11th one of 2017, was particularly troubling because of the missile’s unexpected projected range, which suggested that almost all of Alaska could soon be in danger.
New Romanian Evidence on the Blue House Raid and the USS Pueblo Incident
USS Pueblo (AGER-2) in port, circa 1967 (Source: Naval Historical Center, photo #USN 1129296) Contents Introduction by Mitchell Lerner Introduction by Jong-Dae Shin List of Documents Footnotes “This Warmongering State of Mind:”New Materials on the Korean Crisis of 1968 By Mitchelll Lerner As 1967 drew to a close, much of the world’s attention was focused on the conflict in Vietnam, where a series of prolonged battles along the border and a surprising buildup of communist forces in the area of...
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